NEW YORK: Owing to intense pressure from the Indian American community, the Government of India has
with immediate effect waived the fees for obtaining Renunciation/Surrender Certificate from naturalized American citizens of Indian origin for all those who acquired

their American citizenship before June 1, 2010.
Only a miscellaneous service fee of $20 will be charged
for surrender of passport for cancellation and no penalties will be charged.
Indian passport holders who acquire US/foreign
citizenships on or after June 1, 2010 will, however, be required to pay the fees of $175 for obtaining Renunciation/
Surrender certificate.
Details on page 6

Swarnim Gujarat
celebrated
in Chicago
Details on page 13

‘Consult Diaspora
before imposing
new rules’
Details on page 7

FIA to press for
scrapping
$20 fee too
Details on page 7

Indian American
sentenced for
fake test reports
Another affair
charge against
Nikki Haley

Details on page 8

USIBC launches
new education
initiative in India

Details on page 6

US presses Pak
for passenger
profiling

Details on page 11

US Strategy
seeks greater
role for India

Details on page 12

Shortage forces
UK to recruit
Indian doctors

Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil
Sibal meeting US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton in Washington, DC on June 2

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna at the opening ceremony
of US India Business Council 35th Annual Gala event in
Washington DC on June 2. Report on page 10

NEW YORK: Presidents and Deans of many US Universities met India's Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal June 1, in Washington DC and
expressed their desire to set up higher education institutions in India. They also appreciated the process of
academic reforms initiated in India and said that they
would like to be active partners in the growth story of
Indian education.
Details on page 7

Mission Statement
To empower the Indian Diaspora and make their voice strong and effective in countries of their adoption. RJ Media conglomerate
offers a credible, professional and complete package of news, opinion, entertainment, networking and information.

Publisher’s Diary

I

t does appear to be a big deal - the Indo-US Strategic Dialogue that was set
in motion in Washington DC last week. Think tanks, political pundits, diplomatic circles in both countries are projecting this exchange as the next big
step in a non-political institutionalization of Indo-US cooperation that is likely to
impact the lives of generations to come in both countries.
That is indeed a big deal considering President Barack Obama himself called
up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh days before the dialogue began, to set the
tone for the discussions.
That same week, Under Secretary William Burns, said, "Never has there
been a moment when India and America mattered more to one another. And
never has there been a moment when partnership between India and America
mattered more to the rest of the globe."
Although radically transformed over the past decade, both sides are acutely
aware of the fact that the fabric of cooperation between the two countries is not
without its creases. Burns, who has been in the thick of the transformative
process, and calls Indo-US relations as "one of those rarest of Washington
species, a genuinely bipartisan policy priority", admits the relations will not be
neat or easy and that it would take a lot of time and effort.
Political distrust, I would say, would be the biggest hurdle to conquer. There
would always be the dynamic of each country's bi-lateral relations with other
countries like the US-Pakistan equation or Indo-Russian equation will always
have Washington DC and New Delhi holding each other at arms length distance.
The trick is in seizing the moment while the atmosphere is conducive - leaders
who respect each other, issue of terrorism that affects both, areas of mutual need
and benefit such as clean energy, non-proliferation, education and trade - all of
which elevate the relations to a different level.
Like Burns says, if we get this moment right, Indians and Americans can have
an enormously positive influence on each other's future, and on the course of the
new century unfolding before us.
I agree.

Travel:
Kailash-Mansarovar
The sacred Mount Kailash and
Mansarovar Lake constitute one of the
grandest of Himalayan beauty spots.

32

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

India Post

5

6

Cover/Top Stories

India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Partial retreat on passport penalty
Community still not satisfied
SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY
India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Owing to intense
pressure from the Indian American community, the Government
of India has with immediate effect
waived the fees for obtaining Renunciation/Surrender Certificate
from naturalized American citizens
of Indian origin for all those who
acquired their American citizenship before June 1, 2010.
Only a miscellaneous service
fee of $20 will be charged for surrender of passport for cancellation and no penalties will be
charged.
Indian passport holders who
acquire US/foreign citizenships
on or after June 1, 2010 will, however, be required to pay the fees
of $175 for obtaining Renunciation/Surrender certificate.
For all those who already paid
the fees and penalties prior to
June 1, there would be no refunds.
Also, for people who already
have a Persons of Indian Origin
(PIO) Card or an Overseas Citizen
of India (OCI) Card, the requirement of a surrender certificate will
not be insisted upon although
they are expected to voluntarily
do it.
In the last couple of weeks,
there was a collective outcry from
the Indian American community
in the form of phone calls, emails,
online petitions and protest demonstrations outside the Indian
Consulate in New York over the
past few weeks following a sudden imposition of a $175 fee and
heavy penalties for all those Indian origin foreign citizens who
failed to surrender their Indian
passports.
Families who have had to travel
on emergency or required to obtain some other consular service
had to pay up thousands for dollars in fees and penalties to obtain surrender certificates which
led to panic among others even
as rumors began circulating that
immigration authorities as well as
airlines were not allowing passengers to fly without the surrender
certificates.
Security risk to India
At a press conference to make
the announcements on June 1, the
Consul General of India in New
York Prabhu Dayal clarified the
reasons why the government of
India imposed the new rules, stating that there was large scale misuse of old Indian passports. "It
was found that the passports of a
number of persons who had taken
foreign nationality were using the
old passports and in most cases

by persons other than the owners of those passports," Amb.
Dayal said. "On some days authorities in India found up to 50
people in a day traveling on other
people's passports and those invariably were people who had
become foreign citizens."
"It's a very serious security issue for India," Amb. Dayal continued. "People who had Indian
passports should have acted

For people who already have a Persons
of Indian Origin (PIO)
Card or an Overseas
Citizen of India (OCI)
Card, the requirement
of a surrender certificate will not be insisted
upon although they
are expected to
voluntarily do it
more responsibly but perhaps out
of sheer neglect on their part, the
passports have landed into the
wrong hands."
Several people continued to
travel to India on their Indian passports even after acquiring American citizenship, Amb. Dayal said,
pointing out that an elected official of Indian origin in New York
had himself admitted in an email
to him, to have traveled to India
on his old Indian passport even
though he was a naturalized
American citizen.
Amb. Dayal agreed that while
not everybody was guilty of bad

practices, the few bad fish in the
community were putting the others to hardship.
He said several community organizations had written to him that
the $175 fee was not affordable
for ordinary families - a message
which he said he had conveyed
to the government of India. He
however added that in recent
times India's security had been
threatened like never before and
this fee will serve as a deterrent to
people to act more responsibly.
Consulate officials said that
the onus of surrendering the Indian passport once a person obtains foreign citizenship was on
the individual and not the government agencies.
The press conference turned
into a Town Hall of sorts when
several representatives of some
community organizations joined
in to highlight various issues with
regard to travel to India. The FIA
members said $175 fee was not
acceptable to them even with current effect.
FIA president Nirav Mehta
came up with a suggestion that
even for those who acquired foreign citizenship after June 1, only
a $20 miscellaneous service
charge should be applied with a
stipulation that those who fail to
obtain the surrender certificate
within 90 days of giving up Indian citizenship, would be charged
$175.
Another recent government of
India rule that allows PIOs only a
five year entry permit for travel to
India as against a 10-year multiple
entry visa was also brought up
by the community members.

The Consul General took the
initiative then to propose a
monthly meeting on the Consulate premises with representatives
of community, in the presence of
the media, to discuss and resolve
issues.
FIA continues movement
The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) -Tri-state, which
was to hold a huge protest demonstration outside the Consulate,

The protest rallies
planned in New York
and Washington have
been postponed till
further notice to facilitate ongoing dialogues
with Consul General
Prabhu Dayal and his
staff to resolve other
ambiguity in visa related issues, it said
postponed its agitation following
the latest announcement.
In view of partial victory, the
rally before the Indian Consulate
scheduled to be organized by FIA
on June 4, 2010 has been postponed, said Nirav Mehta, president of FIA, acceding to a request
from the Consul General to reconsider FIA's decision to stage a
demonstration.
Calling it a "battle half won"
the FIA said it would continue to
pressure the government to remove the $175 fee for a surrender
certificate even with effect from
June 1, 2010.

According to a FIA statement,
second part of battle on behalf of
the Indian American Community
still needs to be fought for the
following issues:
* Indian passport holders who
acquire US citizenships on or after June 1, 2010 will still be required to pay the fees of US$ 175/
- for obtaining Renunciation/Surrender certificate;
* Introduction of entry visa for
PIOs with only five years validity
and three times fees in lieu of a
10-year-tourist visa and
* Refund of fees and penalties
to those who had already paid
following the new order from the
Consulate.
FIA is working on a memorandum on these issues to be submitted to the Indian Prime Minister, Home Minister, External Affairs Minister, and Minister for
Overseas Indian Affairs and
Leader of the Opposition in Lok
Sabha urging the government to
discuss and debate all the matters
affecting NRIs/PIOs in Parliament.
The protest rallies planned in
New York and Washington have
been postponed till further notice
to facilitate ongoing dialogues
with Consul General Prabhu Dayal
and his staff to resolve other ambiguity in visa related issues, it
said.
GOPIO
GOPIO International, which
had gathered close to 30,000 signatures in a week through an
online petition demanding the removal of the retroactive effect of
the fee and penalties for obtaining a surrender certificate, welcomed the waiver announcement.

Another affair charge against Nikki Haley
WASHINGTON: In more
trouble for Indian- American Nikki
Haley, who hopes to become
South Carolina's first woman Governor, a political lobbyist has
claimed he had a tryst with the
Republican candidate, who is already facing allegations of an extra-marital affair.
However, 38-year-old Haley's
campaign rejected it as "a false
and outrageous desperate attack
from a losing candidate's paid campaign consultant in the final week
of the race."
Larry Marchant, a familiar face
at the South Carolina State House
who has lobbied legislators on
behalf of the insurance industry
and the state Chamber of Commerce, told CNN he had a "one
night, one night only sexual rela-

tionship" with Haley at a school
choice conference held in Salt
Lake City, Utah in 2008.
However, he did not have any
specific evidence to prove his

campaign rejected Marchant's allegation as "a false and outrageous desperate attack from a losing candidate's paid campaign
consultant in the final week of the

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As Nikki Haley rises in the polls, the good old boys
in Columbia see their taxpayer-funded fraternity
party coming crumbling down, and they will say or
do anything to hold onto their powerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

point.
He is the second individual to
make such a claim, both of which
has been dismissed by Haley's
campaign. In fact, her popularity
rating has increased.
CNN reported that Haley's

race."
"As Nikki Haley rises in the
polls, the good old boys in Columbia see their taxpayer-funded
fraternity party coming crumbling
down, and they will say or do
anything to hold onto their

power," Haley campaign manager
Tim Pearson was quoted as saying.
The 38-year-old mother of two,
whose husband is a US Army reserves officer, has been hit by allegations that she had a "physical" relationship with commentator Will Folks.
If elected, she would be only
the second governor of Indian
origin in the US after Louisiana's
Bobby Jindal.
Meanwhile, the Republican Indian Committee has endorsed the
candidature Nikki Haley.
Haley, whose parents hail from
Amritsar in Punjab, is a current
member of the South Carolina
House of Representatives and is
strongly backed by Republican
heavyweight Sarah Palin.-PTI

Top Stories

June 11, 2010

India Post

7

www.indiapost.com

Major US-India education exchange in the offing
India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Presidents and
Deans of many US Universities
met India's Minister for Human
Resource Development, Kapil
Sibal June 1, in Washington DC
and expressed their desire to set
up higher education institutions
in India. They also appreciated
the process of academic reforms
initiated in India and said that they
would like to be active partners in
the growth story of Indian education.
The minister is in the nation's
capital to participate in the deliberations of the US-India Strategic
Dialogue June 1-4.
Virginia Tech
Dr. Charles Steger, President of
Virginia Tech., along with senior
academics of Virginia Tech told
the minister that they wish to set
up facility near Chennai for research in three broad areas,
namely
Bio-informatics,
Nanosciences and Transportation studies. They also want to
start select masters' and Doctoral
degree programs.
The team of Virginia Tech, an
important technical institution in
USA, appeared enthused by the
recent introduction of the legisla-

tion on Foreign Education Providers in the Parliament and said that
apart from starting own institution
in India, they would also like to
have collaboration with Indian institutions in other fields including
medical education.
Sibal satisfied their many queries on accreditation and other

Georgetown University
Dr Spiros Demolitsas, Senior
Vice President and CEO of
Georgetown University along with
his team briefed Sibal about the
progress made since the minister's
last visit to the US end of Oct 2009.
Dr Demolitsas informed that they
are looking at institutions and

Replying to questions, Sibal said
that just like outsourcing of
manufacturing, time has come
in a globalised economy for
education to be delivered at the
door step of the student( in India)
rather than students having to
travel abroad to get the same
regulatory requirements and suggested that with India's sustained
growth rate of 8 to 9%, there is tremendous scope of development in
urban studies, urban housing and
transportation, architecture and
planning and sustainable development. The challenge is to find solutions for problems in India which
can be replicated globally, he said.

mutual interest are identified.
American University
Dr Louis Goodman, Dean
School of International Service,
American University told Sibal his
School
of
International
Studies(SIS) has already signed a
MoU with Manipal University to
develop a program in national se-

Kapil Sibal with President of Virginia Tech Dr. Charles W.
Steger in Washington, DC on June 1

projects aiming at social science
research and suggested two areas- professional and executive
development for policy makers
and business leaders as also research in emerging areas of climate change, sustainability etc.
requiring inter-disciplinary approach. Sibal asked them to send
a concept note so that areas of

curity studies. School of International Studies (SIS), which is the
largest school of international studies in the world with over 3000 students and 200 faculty, also expressed keen interest in establishment of an Indian Institute at American University which will be dedicated to Indian Studies. As per their
proposal, this institute will be in-

ter-disciplinary in approach, focusing on such areas as foreign
policy and national security, science and technology policy, sustainable development, etc.
Council on Foreign Relations
Addressing the Council on
Foreign Relations the same day,
Sibal gave his vision of education
reforms as also the strategic partnership between India and USA.
He said India's aims to increase
its GER in higher education from the
present 12.4% to 30% by the year
2020 but even after achieving a GER
of 30%, there would be 150 million
youth who would need to be
skilled. Thus, programs for development of higher education and
skill development will have to move
parallel and would require private
participation at large scale, he said.
Replying to questions, Sibal
said that just like outsourcing of
manufacturing, time has come in
a globalised economy for education to be delivered at the door
step of the student( in India) rather
than students having to travel
abroad to get the same. "It is thus
mutually beneficial to both India
and USA to work together to set
up educational institutions in India to train skilled manpower of
the 21st century," he said.

FIA to press for scrapping all unwarranted charges
India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The Federation of
Indian Associations( FIA) had
waged a virtual war on this capricious decision of the Indian government to charge $175 renunciation fee for not surrendering the
Indian passport while getting
naturalized US citizen. Sunny
Gabhawala, FIA President, had
convened a meeting here last
week and announced sending a
deputation to India led by Iftekhar
Shareef, the first Indian American
to acquire dual citizenship.
He said that FIA is the largest
umbrella organization of Indian
Americans and it would fail in its
duty if it did not "awaken" the
Indian bureaucrats over this foolish step charging retroactively the
renunciation fee. He told this
newspaper that FIA now welcomes the government decision
to scrap this decision but still
wondered why even a processing
fee of $20. FIA would continue to
press for all unwarranted charge
on Indians here.
Reacting sharply to the decision to even charge $ 20, community leader and well known travel
agent Peter Kothari said "I still
oppose the collection of $ 20. Why
should a person wanting to visit
his motherland pay this money?

The government and the Consulate must come out
with an unconditional apology and refund the
money taken from the people. If the government is
doing this for security reason then why was the
government not able to stop people like Abu
Salem and Monica Bedi from acquiring five different passports in different names
The Consulate must cancel the
passport and put a remark on their
computer and the matter ends
there. I will still organize the community and urge the government
to withdraw these unwarranted
fees which is a strain on a common man's budget."

Besides this Kothari also said
"what about the problem that the
people had to face during the last
three weeks when the "Tughlaki"
decision was in force. The government and the Consulate must
come out with an unconditional
apology and refund the money

CG Prabhu Dayal

taken from the people. If the government is doing this for security
reason then why was the govern-

ment not able to stop people like
Abu Salem and Monica Bedi from
acquiring five different passports
in different names. It is time the
UPA government set its house in
order and stop harassing genuine people."
According to Rajendra Shah, a
businessman, "the Indian consulate in New York is as it is over
worked and unfriendly then where
was the need to add more burden
on it by the cumbersome cancellation procedure. The decision
was more a brain child of an "idle
bureaucrat" and it is good that
better sense prevailed on the government and the `Tughlaki' decision was withdrawn".

NEW YORK: Urging the Indian government to consult the
Diaspora before imposing rules
that impact them, has The US India Political Action Committee
(USINPAC) has asked the Government of India to review several of its existing laws that adversely affect the 29 million People
of Indian Origin (PIO) across the
world.

Sanjay Puri, the Chairman of
USINPAC, expressed concern
and said that a recently introduced law prohibits former Indian citizens, holding multiple
entry tourist visas, from revisiting the country for 60 days after
their departure from India. "Security is a very big concern for
India and we understand that
the Government of India has to
institute measures to protect its
homeland. The Indian Diaspora

has been a key part of the Indian fabric and better communication and consultation is necessary before the enactment of
rules that could adversely impact them," he said.
Pointing out another law regarding surrendering Indian passports by PIOs, Puri said that, "As
dual nationality is not allowed by
India, an Indian passport should
automatically be considered void
once an Indian citizen accepts a

foreign passport. To require such
persons to visit the issue retrospectively after several years is
both futile and insensitive."
Kersy Dastur, a senior member
of USINPAC, expressed his disappointment at the apparent lack
of advance notice by the Indian
government before introducing
this rule. "Most people do not
know that they must surrender
their Indian passports when they
become US citizens."

8

Top Stories

India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Indian American sentenced for
fake concrete test reports
India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Having survived
two attempts at committing suicide since his indictment, V. Reddy
Kancharla, a former president of a
prominent concrete testing company in New York last week faced
a Manhattan judge who sentenced him to seven to 21 years
of prison time and $225,000 in
fines for fudging tests on iconic
New York City structures including the Freedom Tower at Ground
Zero, the Yankee Stadium and the
2nd Avenue subway.
The judge awarded the sentence to Kancharla, the former
president of Testwell Laboratories, saying he had betrayed the
public and his profession with
years of lying and fakery.
According to the New York
Post, in October 2008, prosecutors accused Kancharla and others at the company of faking concrete mix and strength tests, filing
false invoices and creating bogus
steel inspection reports, among
other offenses. In February, a
State Supreme Court jury in Manhattan convicted Kancharla of 15
counts of falsifying business
records and related charges. The

company itself was found guilty
of 11 charges.
Last week, Justice Edward J.
McLaughlin, said Kancharla, a licensed professional engineer, had
traded on his good name to deceive others. "A skillful person

Kanhcarla had, since
his trial began, attempted to commit
suicide twice - the first
time in February when
he cut his wrist and
took sleeping pills, and
the second in April,
when he tried to
hang himself
can steal more with a pen and a
smile than with a gun," he said.
"When criminals rely on past dealing and the appearance of rectitude, no reason exists for caution."
Justice McLaughlin ordered
Kancharla to pay $225,000 in reparations by Dec. 14 or another year

would be added to his prison term.
He also ordered Testwell to pay
$1,761,099 in reparations. He said
he hoped Kancharla's sentence
would be a deterrent to the "variety of schemes and conniving"
that he said characterized the
building business.
"The construction industry in
New York City over the decades
has been rife with corruption,"
Justice McLaughlin said. "The
people of New York City are the
ultimate victims of the pilfering."
Kanhcarla had, since his trial
began, attempted to commit suicide twice - the first time in February when he cut his wrist and took
sleeping pills, and the second in
April, when he tried to hang himself.
In the court at the time of the
sentencing, Kancharla, who wore
a neck brace (following his suicide attempt), told the judge: "In
retrospect, I should have paid
more attention to the concrete mix
design program and should have
implemented more checks and
balances. Despite the jury's verdict, I want you to know that
Testwell was not a criminal enterprise, and that I am not a criminal
mastermind."

Indian investigators in US to
question Headley
CHICAGO: A team of Indian
investigators has arrived in the US
to interrogate for the first time
David Coleman Headley, accused
of helping Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists carry out the 26/11 Mumbai
attacks.
The team comprises officers of
the National Investigation
Agency and a law officer. This will
be for the first time that 49-yearold Pakistani-American Headley
will be facing direct questions
from Indian investigators since his
arrest in October last year.
Besides the Indian team, those
expected to be present during the
questioning would be Headley's
lawyer and an officer of the FBI.
The questioning of Headley,
currently being held in the federal
lock-up Metropolitan Correctional
Centre here, is going to revolve
around the places he had visited
after the Mumbai terror attacks
and the people he had remained
in touch with during his stay in
India.
Sources in India said the fourmember team has prepared questions about his stay in the country especially during March 2009,

his last visit to India.
The travel details of Headley,
the globe-trotting prized asset of
the LeT, are being sought mainly
as investigators believe that this
visit may have been to finalize the

The statement of
Headley would be
recorded by the Special Law Officer of India
after which the NIA,
which has registered a
case against Headley
and Pakistani-Canadian national Tahawwur
Rana for waging war
against the country and
Unlawful Activities
Prevention (Act), may
file a charge sheet
against him
synchronized terror strikes on
Jewish houses located in five cities, the sources said.
They said the government has
kept 'backup staff' in readiness if
the team needed any assistance.

The statement of Headley
would be recorded by the Special
Law Officer of India after which
the NIA, which has registered a
case against Headley and Pakistani-Canadian
national
Tahawwur Rana for waging war
against the country and Unlawful
Activities Prevention (Act), may
file a charge sheet against him.
Headley, a Chicago-based
American with roots in Pakistan,
has already confessed to have
conducted several reccees as part
of the planning for the ghastly
attacks that killed 166 people in
the country's financial capital in
November 2008.
After being arrested in October last year, the 49-year old entered into a plea bargain with the
US government in March this
year, wherein he offered to be
available to foreign investigators
through deposition, video
conferencing or letters rogatory.
However, further details like for
how many hours or days the Indian team would get access to
Headley, were not yet given.
Headley's lawyer John Theis
said last week he would not com-

US National Security Strategy
seeks greater role for India
India Post News Service

"Russia has reemerged in the
international arena as a strong
voice. China and India --the world's
two most populous nations -- are
becoming more engaged globally.
We will continue to deepen our cooperation with other 21st century
centers of influence --including
China, India, and Russia -- on the
basis of mutual interests and mutual respect. We will also pursue
diplomacy and development that
supports the emergence of new and
successful partners, from the Americas to Africa; from the Middle East
to Southeast Asia.
Our ability to advance constructive cooperation is essential
to the security and prosperity of
specific regions, and to facilitating global cooperation on issues
ranging from violent extremism
and nuclear proliferation, to cli-

NEW YORK: The United
States has re-stated its strategic
partnership with India seeking to
work together on a broad-based
relationship in which India contributes to global counterterrorism
efforts, non-proliferation, and
helps promote poverty-reduction,
education, health, and sustainable
agriculture.
President Barack Obama's just
released new National Security
Strategy states that India's responsible advancement serves as
a positive example for developing
nations, and provides an opportunity for increased economic,
scientific, environmental and security partnership.
"We value India's growing
leadership on a wide array of global issues, through
groups such as the G20, and will seek to work â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We value India's growing
with India to promote
stability in South Asia leadership on a wide array of
and elsewhere in the global issues, through groups
world," the President
such as the G-20, and will
said in his remarks speseek to work with India to
cific to India.
Other references
promote stability in South Asia
specifically to India,
and elsewhere in the world,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;
China and Russia:
"We are working to the President said in his rebuild deeper and more
effective partnerships marks specific to India
with other key centers of
influence-including
China, India, and Russia, as well as mate change, and global ecoincreasingly influential nations such nomic instability-issues that chalas Brazil, South Africa, and Indone- lenge all nations, but that no one
sia-so that we can cooperate on is- nation alone can meet."
Recognizing that different nasues of bilateral and global concern,
with the recognition that power, in tions are exerting greater influan interconnected world, is no ence in the world, the President
said "advancing our interests will
longer a zero sum game.
We are expanding our outreach require expanding spheres of coto emerging nations, particularly operation around the word." Certhose that can be models of re- tain bilateral relationships -- such
gional success and stability, from as US relations with China, India,
the Americas to Africa to South- and Russia -- will be critical to
east Asia. And we will pursue en- building broader cooperation on
gagement with hostile nations to areas of mutual interest. And
test their intentions, give their emerging powers in every region
governments the opportunity to of the world are increasingly aschange course, reach out to their serting themselves, raising opporpeople, and mobilize international tunities for partnership for the
United States," he said.
coalitions."

ment on any specific details of
such an access and "would not
be able to share specific information at this point" as to when and
for how long the team from India
can question Headley.
The team has been sent follow-

ing a communication from the US
Justice Department that all concerned officials and the lawyer of
Headley will be available during
their visit to facilitate their access
to Headley. -PTI

India Post

June 11, 2010
www.indiapost.com

9

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10 India Post

June 11, 2010

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Krishna seeks advanced technology exports from US
WASHINGTON: Pitching for a
robust two-way trade in advanced
technology products with the US,
India has said it has offered guarantees that sensitive technology
would not be diverted in contravention of US regulations.
On the eve of the first IndiaUS Strategic Dialogue, External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna
sought strengthening of bilateral
cooperation in the field of innovation and advanced technology.
"We have given a number of
written assurances that US technology will enjoy the level of security stipulated by the relevant
US laws and not be diverted in
contravention of US regulations,"
Krishna said in his address to the
35th anniversary of US India Business Council, attended by top
leaders of the American corporate
world including the PepsiCo chief
Indra Nooyi.
To press his point, he also cited
that the End Use Monitoring
Agreement has been in place between India and many other countries and asserted that Indian importers had a "100 per cent" compliance record when it comes to
safeguarding imported technology.
"I am absolutely confident that
the emphasis, going forward,
must be on the India US partnership in high technology cooperation and innovation that will generate prosperity for both our
peoples in the years to come," he
said.

With this background and the trust
built as "strategic
partners", he said,
the two nations
should be able to
create an environment for "a robust
two-way trade in
advanced technology products".
Krishna said Indian importers have
a 100 per cent compliance record when
it comes to safeguarding imported
technology.
He said as the Indian
economy
grows and the US
economy regains its
momentum following a recessionary
phase, the trade and
investment figures
External Affairs Minister Mr. S.M. Krishna making the
can multiply expoinagural address at the 35th Anniversary Summit of
the US India Business Council on India US Partnernentially.
ship Shaping the future through Innovation in
"We must go beWashington, DC on June 2
yond that, make innovation the defining principle of our
As India seeks advanced sensitive technology imports from the cooperation, and achieve its true
US, Krishna said: "We have been potential," he said.
He noted that Indian and
implementing the End-Use Verification Agreement with US part- American businesses have had a
ners for years now and have, last proven track record of partnership
year, agreed to a Technical Safe- in innovation, including in the
guards Agreement in space co- fields of civil nuclear cooperation
operation. We also have the End to 'Chandrayaan' and FutureGen.
Krishna said the two countries
Use Monitoring arrangement for
can further build cooperation in
defense acquisitions".

tracking monsoons, warning of
natural disasters, guiding cultivators and farmers with environment
predictability, crossing frontiers in
e-learning, e-health and bringing
about the e-revolution that one
had only imagined a few decades
ago.
"While we explore the immense
opportunities for collaboration, I
would also say that we must explore new designs that reduce resource intensity and have a low

From Right to left Ambassador Meera Shankar, Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao and Indra Nooyi at the USIBC

Strategic Dialogue a milestone in Indo-US ties:
Krishna, Roemer
WASHINGTON: The US
and India have said their Strategic Dialogue is another "milestone" in bilateral relationship
with the Obama Administration saying the future is bright
and the "sky is the limit"
"This week is another milestone in the US-India strategic relationship that has
grown in leaps and bounds in
the past 10 years," US Ambassador to India Tim Roemer said
in his address to the US India
Business Council (USIBC)
ahead of the Strategic Dialogue here.
Roemer also argued that
the US-India bilateral relationship is actually "the good
news story" of the decade.
External Affairs Minister S
M Krishna and US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton are cochairing the first Cabinet-level
Indo-US Strategic Dialogue;
which according to top US of-

ficials would set the pace for the
long-term strategic relationship
between the two countries.
Roemer said the "future is
bright and the sky is the limit"
for the US-India strategic relationship.
"The US-India Strategic Dia-

said.
Krishna said the Strategic Dialogue would be an important occasion for both the countries to
set their sights on "new milestones" as they share interests
ranging from counter-terrorism to
nuclear security to Afghanistan.

He strongly refuted reports that India has not been
a priority for Obama Administration.
In fact, he argued that there have been an
incredible amount of positive stories this past year
as the US-India bilateral relationship is now
one of the good news stories of the day
logue is a series of high level
meetings and events culminating
in the June 3 Plenary Session between Secretary Clinton and External Affairs Minister Krishna.
It will highlight the progress
in our partnership and identify
new areas for collaboration," he

"With an extremely broad
range of shared interests, I will
join Secretary Hillary Clinton, for
the first India-US strategic dialogue at the ministerial level.
That will be an important occasion for us to reflect on the remarkable journey that our two

environmental impact.
"Clean energy, healthcare, agriculture, science and technology,
space and security are just some
areas on which we are working to
step up India-US collaboration,"
he said.
"I would especially emphasize
the importance of innovation that
places products and services
within reach of the weakest and
poorest in our societies," Krishna
said.

great democracies have embarked upon, and to set our
sights on new milestones,"
Krishna said.
Roemer said the US Mission in India is ready to work
closely with all of you to take
advantage of the "limitless
opportunities that arise everyday in India.
He strongly refuted reports
that India has not been a priority for Obama Administration.
In fact, he argued that there
have been an incredible amount
of positive stories this past year
as the US-India bilateral relationship is now one of the good
news stories of the day.
"Actually, it is the good
news story of the decade.
Perhaps that was on President Obama's mind when he referred to it as the "indispensable partnership of the 21st
century," he noted. -PTI

India for
expansion of
both UNSC
seats
UNITED NATIONS: India has
demanded expansion in both permanent and non-permanent seats
of the UN Security Council, saying increasing the membership
only in the non-permanent category or any of its other variants
does not constitute reform of the
world body.
"There cannot be any reform
without expansion in both the categories of membership," Hardeep
Singh Puri, India's envoy to the
UN, said last night at a meeting
convened to discuss the negotiating text for the Security Council
reform.
"Equally, expansion only in the
non-permanent category or any of
its other variants does not constitute reform and is merely the
perpetuation of the current inefficiency by the same ineffective
means in vogue since 1963," he
said.-PTI

NEW YORK: On the occasion
of its 35th anniversary, and looking ahead to the global economy
of the future, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) announced
June 2, the launch of a new initiative aimed at strengthening institutional linkages between
academia, industry and NGOs focusing on the elementary, vocational and higher education sectors in both countries.
On the eve of the first-ever USIndia Strategic Dialogue, India’s
Union Minister of External Affairs,
SM Krishna, US Education Secretary Arne Duncan, India’s Minister of Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal, and India’s Ambassador to the United States,
Meera Shankar, joined hundreds of
top business leaders in Washington to participate in the USIBC
35th anniversary deliberations.
“The United States and India
must be committed partners in
building the workforce of tomorrow, a partnership that will unleash
opportunity, spur growth and sustain prosperity not just in our countries but across the global community,” said Harold McGraw III, incoming USIBC Chairman and
Chairman, President and CEO of
The McGraw-Hill Companies.
“To do this, we must focus on
strengthening our educational ties
at every level. By working together our two countries can equip
the next generation with the education and skills necessary to compete and win in the global
economy.”
McGraw gave the keynote address before a packed audience of
over 400 US and Indian business,
government, and education leaders at USIBC’s 35th Anniversary
Summit, entitled “A Pivotal Period
in US-India Relations: Tackling
Education, Infrastructure and Inclusive Growth.”
USIBC’s Education Initiative

External Affairs Minister Mr. S.M. Krishna (centre) along with his delegation and the USIBC
officials at the opening ceremony of US India Business Council

will serve as a dynamic platform
for business, NGOs, and academia
to provide vital input into both the
U.S. and Indian governments such that the synergies between

We can talk about
strategic, defense, civil
nuclear, renewable
energy and every other
type of commercial
cooperation, but if we
do not develop the skill
sets in our respective
societies to sustain such
collaboration, all this
talk will never be successfully converted
to action,’
American and Indian business and
educational communities are unleashed.
“We can talk about strategic,
defense, civil nuclear, renewable
energy and every other type of

commercial cooperation, but if we
do not develop the skill sets in our
respective societies to sustain
such collaboration, all this talk will
never be successfully converted
to action,” Ron Somers, President
of US-IBC, noted. “How fortunate
it is that families across all walks
of life in both our societies so
highly value education. We have
much to learn from one another,
and much to accomplish - to prepare for the challenges of the 21st
Century,” Somers said.
The USIBC Education initiative
will focus on three thrust areas:
1. Higher Education: USIBC will
host the US-India Higher Education Forum (HEF) at the invitation
of the US and Indian governments.
The HEF will serve as the premier
platform to enlist academia, industry and NGOs to strengthen linkages between U.S. and Indian educational institutions from both
countries. The HEF will provide a
formalized network for industry,
academia and the NGO community
to provide direct policy input to
the U.S. and Indian governments
in all areas of education, with an

US says India to be 'central part' of UNSC reform
WASHINGTON: The US has
said India would play a "central
part" in the UN Security Council's
reform process, but stopped short
of publicly endorsing the
country's bid for a permanent seat
in the world body's top organ.
"We recognize, very clearly,
India's increasing global role. We
recognize the importance of reform of the UN Security Council;
we're open to expansion of permanent membership of the Council and we believe that India's going to have a central part to play
in the consideration that's going
to come of that reform of the UN
Security Council," Under Secre-

tary of State for Political Affairs,
William Burns, said.
However, he did not publicly
endorse India for the permanent
membership of the UNSC.
It is obvious that the UN Security Council, as has been the case
with other parts of international
architecture over the last few
years, is an issue that needs to be
addressed so that it reflects the
realities of 2010, Burns said at the
Council on Foreign Relations, a
Washington-based think-tank.
"Now, obviously, we want to
try to do that in a way which is
going to preserve the effectiveness of the Security Council, but

this administration has made clear
not only its openness to reform
and some expansion of permanent
membership in the Security Council, but we've also underscored the
importance we attached to India's
role," he argued.
"So I think India's going to be
a central part of the consideration
that is bound to come of Security
Council reform," he said, adding:
"I do very much understand the
significance of Security Council
reform. I think it's an important issue for the United States to address and I think India's going to
be very much a part of that process.-PTI

aim to facilitate greater collaboration, including the opening of
India’s higher education sector.
2. Elementary K-12 Education:
USIBC has embarked on a sur-

Through its partnership
with Tata, McGraw-Hill
Education is delivering
innovative, digital
solutions to help workers acquire the 21st
century skills they need
to succeed in today’s
global economy. India
is home to McGrawHill’s largest employee
population outside
of the US
vey of rural and urban, private
and public K-12 schools throughout India to identify best prac-

tices that are working well in educating students, while assessing
needs where industry, NGOs and
government may join together to
fill gaps. With the support of Ryan
International Group, one of India’s
leading educators, both financial
and intellectual resources will be
mobilized to transform these and
other schools in a manner that promotes replication of successful
models across India.
3. Vocational Training and Skills
Development: USIBC will partner
with its member-companies to feature Case Studies of Vocational
Training and Skills Development
that are being implemented across
India. The exercise will attempt to
enlist more corporations to participate in this important area of human capacity building. Programs
helping to train thousands of workers will generate employment opportunities and sustain economic
growth now and for the long future - in both countries.
India is embarked on expanding its community college system,
including technical training institutions, as well as inviting interest
in implementing 30,000 new colleges and 1,500 universities over
the next decade.
The United States continues to
be the most sought after destination for Indian students studying
overseas, attracting as many as
113,000 each year to American universities and colleges.
Through its partnership with
Tata, McGraw-Hill Education is delivering innovative, digital solutions to help workers acquire the
21st century skills they need to
succeed in today’s global
economy. India is home to
McGraw-Hill’s largest employee
population outside of the US and
is the company’s fourth largest
market.

Top Stories

12 India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Shortage forces UK to recruit
Indian doctors
LONDON: Britain is turning
back to Indian doctors as the
nation's National Health Service
(NHS) is facing acute shortage of
junior medicos, posing the first
test to the new coalition
government's restrictive immigration policy.
The government is being
forced to recruit doctors from India and elsewhere, as new rules
framed in 2006 preventing doctors
from non-European Union to practice in England, has led to acute
shortage of medical professionals
in the country.
So bad is the situation that
some hospitals had to close down
specialties and emergency divisions, and this crisis is forcing
authorities to recruit from India
and elsewhere.
"Many Indian doctors who
were training here returned home
when immigration rules were tightened in 2006, and media reports in
India about the rules stopped
many from coming here," an In-

dian doctor, holding a senior position in the NHS, told PTI.
He said even though some
deaneries were now recruiting
from India, not many Indian doctors would be interested because
immigration rules prevented them
from staying for more than two
years.
This short period would prevent them from having a career in
the NHS, he said.
According to the BBC, the Department of Health recently approached the British Association
of Physicians of Indian Origin
(BAPIO), for help to recruit hundreds of junior doctors from India.
The move, however, did not
take off due to tight visa norms
for non-EU doctors.
Given the acute shortage, the
Department of Health is reported
to be in favor of relaxing visa
norms for Indian and other nonEU doctors, but immigration
policy is the domain of the Home

Office, which so far has not indicated any possibility of change.
The Home Office is currently
headed by Conservative leaders
Theresa May (Home secretary)
and Damian Green (Immigration
minister).
Both have committed themselves to the coalition
agreement's policy of imposing an
annual limit on professionals migrating from non-EU countries.
BAPIO had agreed to help the
Department of Health, provided
the Indian doctors were allowed
to stay and get training for between three and four years, rather
than the two year limit currently
in place.
"The Department of Health said
its hands are tied. The problem is
at the Home Office. The Department of Health is very much willing to extend this (visa) period,
but (they are saying) that the
block is at the Home Office,"
Ramesh Mehta, the president of
BAPIO, told the BBC.-PTI

India, Pakistan can't afford resurgence of tension: US
WASHINGTON: Welcoming
India's decision to resume
peace talks with Pakistan despite the political risk involved
in it, the US has said that neither of the two nuclear powered
nations can afford resurgence
of tension.
"The United States welcomes
recent steps by India and Pakistan towards constructive dialogue, including the planned
meeting in Islamabad in July between Minister Krishna and
Minister Qureshi," said the Un-

der Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns.
Addressing the Council on
Foreign Relations - a Washington-based think-tank, the top
State Department official said
the US President Barack Obama
has welcomed Prime Minister
Singh's willingness to take political risks in order to lessen
tensions with Pakistan and has
promised that the United States
will continue to support those
efforts.
"None of us, least of all Indi-

ans and Pakistanis, can afford
a resurgence of tensions between two nuclear-armed
states," he said.
"None of us, least of all Indians and Pakistanis, can afford
to see groups with global terrorist ambitions like Lashkar-eTaiba continue unchecked.
As Secretary Clinton has emphasized to the Pakistani leadership, "we have no time to
waste in going after that common enemy as hard and as fast
as we can," Burns said. -PTI

US presses Pak for broader
passenger profiling
NEW YORK: US is putting on lar request as an invasion of its
pressure on Pakistan for much citizens' privacy. But the issue is
broader passenger profiling as now on a "short list" of sticking
part of its new efforts to crack points between the two countries.
down hard on terrorists, a move including some classified
which has been resisted so far by counterterrorism programs.
The report comes in the wake
Islamabad.
Pakistan currently provides in of botched May 1 Times Square
advance only the names of pas- bombing plot, in which a 30-yearsengers traveling to the US, but old Pakistani born American citinow Washington is insisting on zen Faisal Shahzad is the main
complete database of all flyers suspect.
President Obama has given his
from Pakistan, the New York Times
top aides a deadline of the next
reported.
The American investigative few weeks to resolve the issues
agencies want to use this infor- with Pakistan, the officials said.
mation to track terrorists travel
That pressure to deliver results
patterns.
But the Times said
The US wants information on
now the US wants information on Pakistanis Pakistanis who fly to other
who fly to other coun- countries to feed into its datatries to feed into its dabase that can detect patterns
tabase that can detect
patterns used by the used by the terrorists, their
terrorists,
their financers, their logisticians and
financers, their logistiothers who support them
cians and others who
support them.
The US currently has a range has prompted senior officials like
of confidential agreements with Gen James L Jones, the national
countries governing how much security adviser, and Leon E
information each will share about Panetta, the director of the Cenits citizens traveling on commer- tral Intelligence Agency, to warn
cial airliners. Many countries senior Pakistani leaders of the
share only information about pas- risks to the country's relationship
sengers traveling to the US, while with the US if a deadly terrorist
others, including several in the attack originated in their country.
The paper said under the new
Caribbean, have agreed to share
more information about other proposals analysts at the National
countries that their residents visit. Targeting Centre in northern VirIn the case of Pakistan, Ameri- ginia, an arm of United States Cuscan officials are seeking details toms and Border Protection, could
like the recent travel histories of examine the travel patterns of Paairline passengers and how they kistanis with known links to militant groups who fly to Persian Gulf
paid for their tickets.
Pakistan has for several years countries, where donors to al
rebuffed this politically unpopu- Qaeda and the Taliban live. -PTI

Desi News
Balaji Temple to
host Gundecha
brothers
ANUPAMA PATEL

AURORA: Sri Balaji Temple in
Aurora, a southwest Chicago suburb, is presenting the Gundecha
Brothers of India performing
Dhrupad the oldest form of North
Indian Classical Music on Saturday, June 19 at 6.00pm in the
Temple auditorium.
Umakant, Ramakant and
Akhilesh Gundecha - The
Gundecha brothers - are prominent
performers and teachers of the ancient classical vocal music of India
called Dhrupad. The Gundecha
brothers belong to one of
Dhrupad's oldest and most illustrious musical lineages (Dagar Vani)
and received their training from Zia
Fariduddin Dagar and Ustad Zia
Mohiuddin Dagar, the renowned
Rudra Veena master. Since 1985 the
Gundecha brothers have performed
frequently in more than 20 countries, achieving international critical acclaim and taking their place
among India's most talented and
dedicated artists.
Cont’d on page 18

MAFS mini fund
raiser a big
success
HIMALI BHARUCHA

CHICAGO: Metropolitan Asian
Family Services (MAFS) held a
mini fundraiser on Saturday, May
22 at its newly opened Naperville
site in order to continue providing much needed services to seniors in the local community.
Guests in attendance were Shri
Purnatmanandji Swami from
Bharat Savashram Sangh, Greg
Brownfields, a legal aid attorney,
Beth O'grady, the former Executive
Director of Coalition of Limited
English Speaking Elderly, Marta
Pereyra, the executive Director of
CLESE, board members, and seniors from Naperville, Chicago,
Niles and Roselle. The celebration
started with a bhajan and lighting
of a lamp and blessings of Shri
Purnatmanandji Swami for peace,
happiness and prosperity of seniors and this agency.
Cont’d on page 15

CHICAGO: Celebrating Asian American Heritage
month in a grand manner as is usually the vogue
with Cook County treasurer office for the past many
years, Maria Pappas, presented recognition awards
to a number of Indians, Nepalese and Nurses Association recently for their outstanding contributions
to the cultural and economic well being of the sociDetails on page 16
ety they live in.

CHICAGO: For one day at
least, Indian Americans, especially
those hailing from State of Gujarat,
forgot that they are not in India
but felt they are in Gujarat enjoying Gujarati Raas Garba, Gujarati
songs, Gujarati Dhokla Undhiyu and Gujarati talks from
Gujarati men and women dressed
up in traditional Gujarati dresses.
The occasion was celebration
of 50th anniversary of formation
of the State of Gujarat in Indian
Union and the place was
Waterford Banquet Hall in
Elmhurst, a south west suburb of
Chicago. The place was given a
face lift with a typical entry gate
that had Gujarati flair and inside
had beautiful artifacts on Gujarat its map depicting its geographical
features, rivers and mountains, its
religious and tourist places, handicrafts, literary figures, its saints
and leaders. Kudos to the organizers led by Narendra Patel, president of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj

by one and depict their diverse
cultural and regional traditions
and make all India proud.
The nearly five hours of
crowded event started with Beena
Patel welcoming all the guests and
President of VGS Narendra Patel
in chaste Gujarati. This was followed by lighting of lamp and
Kalash Puja - the Kalash was

brought from Gujarat and which
would ultimately be sent back
there in 2011. Nrendra Patel briefed
the audience about VGS and
thanked all those present, including Indian Consul General Ashok
Kumar Attri who had come with
his elegant wife Smt Usha Kiron.

Classical Indian dance in progress

Cont’d on page 14

14

India Post

Community Across America

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Akshaya Patra education program gets boost
KATHLEEN COSGROVE

BOSTON: A sold-out Food for
Education Benefit Event recently
hosted by Akshay Patra Foundation at the Westin Hotel in
Waltham turned out to be a huge
success with the organizers raising close to $400,000 for its globally acclaimed education program
for deserving and needy children
in India
The 52-member host committee
included influential community
members and change agents who
were instrumental in making the

event a great success. One of the
highlights was the featured
speaker Dr. Deepak Chopra.
The event attracted 500 local
leaders from diverse professions.
The festivities brought in not only
long-time supporters, but also
many people experiencing their
first introduction to Akshaya
Patra. Madhu Sridhar, President
and CEO of Akshaya Patra, shared
with the guests the Akshaya
Patra's success story and urged
those present to ensure that hun-

ger is not a barrier to education.
"We are gathered here to bring
smiles of hope to five million children by 2020, the organization's
next goal. It is our collective challenge, our collective obligation,
our collective responsibility and
it will be our collective joy when
we meet this next milestone."
Deepak Chopra, MD, a worldrenowned authority in the field of
mind-body healing, a best-selling
author, and the founder of the
Chopra Center for Wellbeing, de-

Swarnim Gujarat celebrated in Chicago
with great enthusiasm
Cont’d from page 13

Patel thanked all the sponsors
and donors for making their event
a grand success. All the sponsors
and VGS directors were recognized,
and sponsors were given recognition certificates at the hands of
Narendra Patel and Indian CG Attri.
Hiren Patel of National Republic
Bank, Raj and Nilesh Patel of Med
Star Laboratories and Mafat Patel
of Swad Food were honored for
their huge support
In his brief address, CG Attri
recounted his experience with
members of the Gujarati community while in Middle East and
Kenya. He specifically mentioned
that he had met a businessman
from Gujarat whose ancestors had
helped Vasco De Gama reach India via South Africa. He also mentioned that he was offered Gujarati
food, Dhokla in particular, whenever he had chance to attend a dinner with Gujarati families. He paid
compliments to great business
acumen of Gujarati businessmen

minutes address pitched in calm
and unruffled voice to sink differences and work unitedly for the
betterment of Gujarat and India. He
said that the Swarnim celebrations
would last till end April 2011 and
celebrations across the globe
should help promote image of the
State worldwide. SK Nanda, a high
level official of Gujarat Government
was present and he addressed the
A section of the audience in jovial mood with artists in background

and pointed out that even today it
is Gujarat which attracts highest
flow of investible funds from overseas investors.
In between, a message from
Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of
Gujarat was video played. Dr.
Bharat Barai who had gone with
Chicago businessman Tulsi Patel
to Gujarat to attend Golden Jubilee celebrations had brought DVD
from Gandhinagar. Modi in his ten

livered the keynote address. He
The Foundation is one of the
said that the keys to human hap- world's largest NGO-run midday
piness lay in efforts to make some- meal programs, feeding 1.2 million
one else happy.
children each day in over 7,000
In addition to donating money schools through 19 kitchens in
to feed a large school for an entire eight states in India. A public-priyear on behalf of his grandchil- vate partnership, Akshaya Patra
dren, the next morning Dr. Chopra combines good management, inwrote on his Twitter account to his novative technology and smart
over 200,000 followers, "It was a engineering to deliver school
wonderful & humbling experience 2 see so much
compassion in action. In addition to donating
Akshaya Patra Rocks!" At
the request of Sridhar, Dr. money to feed a large
Chopra graciously agreed school for an entire year
to speak for Akshaya Patra
on behalf of his
once a year in the US.
The event was spon- grandchildren, the next
sored by Leader Bank,
MFA, Chitika, A123 Sys- morning Dr. Chopra wrote
tems, Abacus Software, Veon his Twitter account
nus
Capital
and
Deshpande Foundation. to his over 200,000
New corporations that
followers, ‘It was a wonsponsored the event this
year included EMC, CSS, derful & humbling experiPatni,
InteQ
and
J.P.Morgan. In addition, en- ence 2 see so much
thusiastic volunteers from compassion in action’
Leader Bank helped the registration process go
smoothly for a second year in a row. lunch at $28 to feed a child daily
Two meal delivery vehicles for the entire school year.
were sponsored at a cost of over
With an average government
$20,650 each; three large schools subsidy of 50 percent, $28 feeds
were sponsored at a cost of over two children. This meal gives
$12,600 each; two mid-sized these children an incentive to come
schools were sponsored at a cost to school, stay in school and proof over $4,200 each; and 20 small- vides them with the necessary
size schools were sponsored for nutrients they need to develop
$1,400 each. The rest of the money their cognitive abilities to focus on
raised was for providing healthy learning.
meals to deserving children in all
Akshaya Patra's next milestone
eight states in India where is to serve 5 million children daily
Akshaya Patra has kitchens.
by 2020.

June 11, 2010

Community Across America

India Post 15

www.indiapost.com

MAFS mini fund raiser a big success
HIMALI BHARUCHA

to fix and make it
better…that is her
one single guiding
vision."
Marta Pereyra
was honored to be
a part of yet another
success of MAFS
and was proud to
say that it is a shining star among the
other fifteen agencies CLESE supports. She praised
members of MAFS
for their tireless efforts to assist older
adults in order to
help them stay at
their own homes
peacefully with dignity.
Lighting of Lamp by Shri Purnatmananda Ji Maharaj. Seen in the picture (L-R) Rekha
Mrs. Santosh
Mohanty, Noor Tejanii, a Board Member, Shri Purnatmanandji Swami, Mrs. Santosh Kumar,
Kumar welcomed
Executive President, Sankarprasad Bhatt, a board member, Dr. Firdaus Jafri, President,
Pramod Kumar, the CFO.
guests and assured
everyone present
CHICAGO: Metropolitan Asian assistance- almost 2/3 less than that she was committed to assist
Family Services (MAFS) held a the minimum cost of nursing home and empower seniors through
mini fundraiser on Saturday, May which is approximately $6,500 per various senior programs i.e. Com22 at its newly opened Naperville year, and therefore, from the per- munity Care Program, Adult Day
site in order to continue provid- spective of a taxpayer, CCP is Care Program, ESL, Health Educaing much needed services to se- much beneficial.
tion, Computer Classes, Hot
niors in the local community.
In his eyes, CCP services are Lunch Program, Health Education,
Guests in attendance were Shri vital and he will make sure to fund and programs for culturally approPurnatmanandji Swami from the program with out delays or priate activities and festivities etc.
Bharat Savashram Sangh, Greg budget cuts when he is elected.
She mentioned that Naperville
Brownfields, a legal aid attorney,
Praising Mrs. Kumar, Beth site will offer Social Services and
Beth O'grady, the former Executive O'grady, spoke about her long as- Immigration Programs which are
Director of Coalition of Limited sociation with Mrs. Kumar since not funded by State of Illinois in
English Speaking Elderly, Marta past fifteen years and expressed DuPage County.
Pereyra, the executive Director of that "Mrs. Kumar is a light that
Convincing seniors, Mrs.
CLESE, board members, and se- shines on the world and what she Kumar stated that no matter what
niors from Naperville, Chicago, sees, she wants to help, she wants the age or the health condition or
Niles and Roselle.
The celebration started with a
bhajan and lighting of a lamp and
blessings of Shri Purnatmanandji
Swami for peace, happiness and prosperity of seniors and this agency.
MAFS' Board President Dr.
Firdaus Jafri welcomed everyone
and thanked Mrs. Santosh Kumar,
the Executive Director of MAFS
for navigating the ship of this
agency admirably even during the
recent rough weather.
She applauded Ms Santosh
Kumar and the management as a
whole for being able to do what
they started many years ago and
for being strong despite budget
cuts from the state.
Greg Brownfields was pleased
to be a part of MAFS family and
shared his concerns about senior
care. He promised to support the
continuing efforts of agencies like
MAFS to keep seniors in their own
homes rather than nursing homes.
One of the foremost reasons he is
choosing to run for State Representative position of 55 district is
that he could assist elderly and disabled throughout Northern Illinois.
He stated that Community Care
Program provides cost efficient

Sonalika Panigrahi, performing Odissi dance

the financial status, she would
render all possible help thru her
agency. She was very happy to
see her dream being materialized
as she planned and worked very
hard to open the Naperville site.
She requested and urged seniors
from the community to take benefit of the services MAFS has to
offer. She thanked Greg…... for
encouraging her to open centers
in Niles, in Schaumburg/Roselle,

in Naperville and where ever
there's need. She was grateful to
Dr. Firdaus Jafri for her continued
support, Rachna Nayar for pitching support from the community
for time, energy, and funds on
MAFS behalf, the Board members,
Shahida Khan and Shakarprasad
Bhatt, Noor Tejani and her staff
for their help and effort.
Cont’d on page 16

CH I C A G O : C e l e b r a t i n g
Asian American Heritage
month in a grand manner as is
usually the vogue with Cook
County treasurer office for the
past many years, Maria Pappas,
presented recognition awards
to a number of Indians,
Nepalese and Nurses Association recently for their outstanding contributions to the cultural
and economic well being of the
society they live in.
Among the Indian Americans
were Susan Patel, a community
activist, Kishore Chug, a prominent pharmacist who renders big
help to a free clinic on Peterson
Avenue, Bala Ghimre, a Nepalese
restaurant owner, Indian nurses
and an award of excellence to the
Indian Nurses Association of Illinois. Tissy Cyriac, president,
accepted the award on behalf of

INS President Tissy Cyriac receiving the award on behalf of Nurses
Association

INAI. The association was
founded in 2001, and has over
400 members. The mission of
INAI is to establish a professional body to identify and meet

the professional cultural and social needs unique to nurses of
Indian origin and heritage.
Susan Patel is actively associated with a good number of so-

MAFS mini fund raiser a big success

L to R Kishore Chug, Susan Patel (center) and Maria Pappas

cial activities. She volunteered
for Indo American Center till recently. Kishore Chug is a noted
pharmacist and helps channel
medicine and drugs for needy

thru a free clinic on Peterson Ave
in Chicago. Bala Ghimre has won
accolades for serving Chicagoans with excellent authentic
Nepalese cuisine.

Indo-U.S. Physician
Exchange Program
SUDHIR VYAS

section of
MAFS
Audience

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 15

The event was a great success.
Everyone enjoyed traditional
Odissi performance dance by
Sonalika Panigrahi from Upkala
Center and entertainment by
Sonalika, Rekha Mohanty, Raju
Bankapur, Amir, Ken and Sudhir
Bollywood Awaz & M3 Orchestra.
Seniors took great interest in singing and dancing with enthusiasm
and energy which is indescribable.
Many community members donated generously and supported
this worthy cause.

Shree Rekha Mohanty and
Ruju Bankapur, entertainers

WASHINGTON DC: A recently tant role in improving medical eduestablished American Professional cation and health care in India and
Exchange Association (APXA) will also learn about local tradihas announced a novel program tional medical practices. The visinvolving an exchange of physi- iting Indian physicians will get
cians between India and US. The acquainted with U.S. health care
main thrust is to provide a free system. Such exchanges will also
service that would match U.S. phy- result in joint projects benefiting
sicians with physicians in India for both India and the United States.
voluntary and
APXA will match
mutually agreed
physicians based
reciprocal visits.
on specialty and
Under this prointerest.
gram,
hosts
This program
would provide
was initiated by
free lodging,
the
Science
board, and proCounselor, Dr. D.
fessional interacDutta (representtions to their vising the Ambassaiting
guests.
dor of India); Dr.
Dr Navin Shah, CEO APXA
These exchanges
V.K. Shah, Presiwill prove benefident of AAPI; Dr.
cial - both professionally and cul- Jayesh B. Shah, Chair AMA - IMG
turally, according to Navin C. Shah Section; and Dr. Navin C. Shah,
CEO APXA.
CEO, APXA, on May 20, 2010 at
The program's information and the Embassy of India in Washingneeded forms are available at ton, D.C.
www.apxamembers.com. This proOf the 950,000 practicing phygram is supported by the U.S. State sicians in the United States, 45,000
Department (Office of Professional are of Indian origin. In addition
and Cultural Exchanges); the Ameri- there are 10,000 U.S. physicians in
can Medical Association (AMA) training of Indian origin. Some of
[International Medical Graduates these physicians would like to visit
(IMG) Section]; the World Health India and provide their services
Organization (WHO - Global Health and expertise. Similarly, some of
Workforce Alliance - GHWA); the the physicians in India would like
Government of India; and the Ameri- to visit the United States to avail
can Association of Physicians of state of the art knowledge and
Indian Origin (AAPI).
practice in their specialty. APXA
APXA expects that United provides an organized approach
States physicians play an impor- for physician exchange.

June 11, 2010

Community Across America

India Post 17

www.indiapost.com

Creating awareness for Pancha Karma treatment
MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: With thirty plus years of ex- best seasons. Purgation
that can be done once
perience as an Ayurvedic practitioner and is used to eliminate exand forgotten, but must
after having treated thousands of patients cess Pitta from its site in
be integrated into one's
strictly through Ayurvedic treatment and the small intestine. It is
entire life-regimen. It
remedies, Dr. Gargi Vasavda is now set to not always advisable for
may be necessary to recreate awareness among Indians as well as Vata types.
peat the whole process
Americans alike about the efficacy of this
Niruha basti uses
of Pancha Karma.
age old medical science.
special herbal solutions,
During panchakarma,
Principally, she wants to concentrate on and treats conditions infatigue malaise, headthe importance and need of Panchakarma cluding skin diseases,
aches, congestion, genline of treatment advocated strongly in liver problems, abdomieral illness, and an inAyurveda that centers around to a large ex- nal tumors, parasites,
crease in symptoms may
tent on a complete cleansing of body to get and chronic fevers. For
occur as side effects.
rid of toxicity and wastes. It is this toxicity therapeutic enemas, meAlso, it seeks to release
that leads to a debilitation of immune system dicinal oils and herbal
stored emotional probwhich in its turn, not only triggers but also solutions are used to
lems from the patient;
causes a spared of many diseases.
cleanse the lower bowsome people may expeThe five main methods of Panchakarma els. .. Enemas (basti) are
rience mental disturare Vamana (therapeutic vomiting) Virechana, a mild therapy and can
bances during treatment.
(enema therapy -Niruha Basti for medicated be used for many condiDr. Gargi said that
enemas - Anuvasana basti (for oil enemas), tions. Cleansing enemas
she
commenced her
Dr. Gargi Vasavda
Nasya (nasal cleansing) and Swedan- (Niruha basti) are used
practice in Ahmedabad Pindaswedam ( Navarakkizhi), Patraswedam. in Pancha Karma to dispel excess Vata from Ayu Raksha - about two decades ago and
Depending on the health problem, one or its site in the large intestine.
must have seen and treated thousands of
more of these methods are used to cleanse
They are made with decoctions of anti- patients. On an average, 200 patients are
the body and promote healing. Other Vata herbs. Niruha and anuvasana basti are given Pancha Karma treatment in a month.
Ayurvedic therapies may be used in conjunc- used to treat conditions such as constipaWhen asked about the end results, she
tion as well.
tion, arthritis, nervous dis- said that a very large number of patients have
In a talk to this paorders, colitis, headaches, responded very favorably to the treatment
per, she said that pre- â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The important point that
muscle weakness, and and this leads many to come for frequent
liminary detoxifica- I would like to make is
lower back pain
bout of Pancha Karma. They feel a remarktion and Ama-reduc- that Pancha Karma
Nasya, literally, 'what able improvement in their immune system and
ing methods, accordrelates to the nose.' For feel rejuvenated as well, she said. The basic
ing to one's dosha, treatment basically is
Nasya, medicated oils or philosophy is that the body should get rid of
should be followed not going counter to
powders are administered
for a period prior to
into the nostrils to cleanse
any other form of treatPancha Karma.
the sinuses. Nasya is useVamana
uses ment that one follows. It
ful for many Vata and
herbal solutions or is more than likely that
Kapha disorders. It allows
salt water to induce
for direct action on prana
it would rather speed
vomiting. It is mainly
and the brain. It is helpful
for those with con- up the progress to
in some Pitta disorders, as
gestion of phlegm in disease free healthier
well as any diseases of the
the lungs and stomhead and nasal passages.
ach, usually Kapha life,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; she said
This therapy is used to
constitutions .This
treat conditions of the
treatment is used for skin problems, asthma, head, including mental disorders, headaches,
diabetes, chronic sinus or lung infections, and ear, nose, and throat problems. Snehana,
epilepsy, heart disease, and digestive disor- also called 'oleation therapy' is an important
ders. Virechan, a strong purgative is given therapeutic method in Ayurveda, with oils
like aloe or castor oil.
used both externally and internally.
Purgative herbs are usually given in the
Steam therapy or therapeutic sweating,
evening, so that five to eight bowel move- Svedana, is another important method.
ments occur the next day, flushing out the
Pancha Karma treatment has several folintestines. Late spring and summer are the low up practices. It is not an isolated therapy

AWB scholarships for female Asian students
India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Asian Women in Business
will award $2,500 scholarships to female
Asian students who demonstrate a commitment to scholarship, leadership, community
service, and/or entrepreneurship.
Candidates for the scholarship must be
female of Asian (includes those who can trace
their ancestry from Bangladesh, Cambodia,
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos,
Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) or Pacific Islander ancestry.
Candidates must also fulfill the following criteria to be considered:
Have at least one or more of the following:

a) demonstrated a leadership role in a
community or non-profit endeavor, or b) a
record of entrepreneurial achievement; enrolled full-time in an accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the US at the time
of application and award; carry a minimum
of 3.0 (out of 4.0) GPA at the time of application; provide most recent college transcript;
semi-finalists will be required to provide
their official college transcript
Provide at least one professional recommendation; fully complete the AWIB Scholarship Application; be a US citizen or permanent resident.
All application materials must be postmarked by August 1. Semifinalists will be
notified in September and winners will be
notified in November.

its toxic waste and recapture a proper balance of Vat- Pitta and Kupha elements for a
healthy and long life. "Pancha Karma aims at
this. Synchronized or followed up with herbal
medicine and other Ayurvedic drugs- formulation, it should help one overcome many
diseases. Ayurved has treatment for
Madhumeh (diabetes), Karkarog (cancer)
Auj Kshaya (AIDS) and many such diseases.
Early diagnosis and treatment are really important for lasting cure," she said.
She said that Ayurved bases its diagnosis on pulse reading followed with inputs
form patient. It can be supplemented with
the modern days screening and other testing results. But it has to be using its own
medicines and drugs.
Also, the modern medical science has
made tremendous advances in the field of
surgery and Ayurveda practitioners can also
take advantages of these developments in
medical field, she observed.
Dr. Gargi was in Chicago last month and
has conducted a few seminars on Pancha
Karma here before going to Charlotte. She
is more than willing to have more such seminars and talks for general public as also for
those in the field of medicine.
"The important point that I would like to
make is that Pancha Karma treatment basically is not going counter to any other form of
treatment that one follows. It is more than likely
that it would rather speed up the progress to
disease free healthier life," she said.

18

Community Across America

India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

PCS celebrates India festival
RAJINDER SINGH MAGO

CHICAGO: The
Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago
(PCS) partnered
with
Chicago
Children's Museum
(CCM) at Navy Pier
in organizing the
Passport to the
World: India Festival Celebrations on
May 16.
Punjabi artists performing traditional Punjabi dances at Navy Pier in Chicago
The PCS perforDhillon.
mances depicted an enriched moPassport to the World is desaic of diverse traditions from the of Northbrook, Illinois and current
north Indian state of Punjab includ- Inter-Community Director of PCS signed to expose children to a
variety of cultures and to affirm
ing the Punjabi folk dances Bhangra Chicago.
As the program moved indoors with each child his own cultural
and Gidha performed by various
Punjabi youths from around the to the Chicago Children's Mu- identity and ethnic heritage,
Midwest region. Attendees also par- seum, attendees experienced stated Keith McCormick, CCM's
ticipated in turban tying, Mehendi, dance performances by children Director of Cultural Programs.
from Indiana and Illinois,
PCS of Chicago is a not-forand other Indian performing arts.
An outdoor procession of more Bhangra 101 dance lessons, a profit community organization
than 200 participants commenced turban tying workshop by Sikh devoted to promoting the Punjabi
the festivities at Navy Pier with American Heritage Organization culture, language, performing
street dancing and the eclectic (SAHO) volunteers, and arts, healthy life style and sports,
beats of the Punjabi Dhol drum Mehendi art by Rajneesh Kaur education, and good citizenship
played by Kevindeep Singh Atwal Singh helped by Harpreet Kaur in the metropolitan Chicago area.

NEW JERSEY: As part of its
10th anniversary celebration on
June 5, the Arsha Bodha Center in
Central Jersey launched a unique
new program aimed at helping vulnerable community members who
are dealing with emotional and
physical difficulties.
The Jana Raksha Community
Care Program is intended to help
Hindus in Central Jersey who are
coping with physical or emotional
distress caused by illness, life
events, or family situations.
The Arsha Bodha Center is an
ashram dedicated to the traditional
teaching of Vedanta, Sanskrit,
Bhagavad Gita, meditation, Vedic
chanting, and related Hindu spiritual practices. The Center was established in 2000 to give residents
of Central New Jersey ready access to the wisdom (bodha) of the
sages of ancient India (arsha).
The Hindu community in Central New Jersey has grown significantly in the past two decades, but
there are very few support services available for them," said
Swami Tadatmananda, the Spiritual Director of the Jana Raksha
Community Care Program, and
founder of the Arsha Bodha Center. "The Jana Raksha program will
fill the gap between
professional services and family support. Our trained caregivers

can provide one-on-one support
and care giving, offering encouragement and spiritual comfort to
those in need. We will also provide referrals to community based
services."
Caregivers are themselves
members of the Hindu community
who are familiar with cultural and
religious issues. Other than English, support can be provided in
several Indian languages, including Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil,
Telugu, Kannada, Konkani, Sindhi
and Punjabi. Caregivers have
been trained to handle situations
involving grief and loss, depression, chronic illness, family conflict, marital discord and divorce,
job related stress and other issues.
To obtain support from the Jana
Raksha Community Care Program,
people can call 732-690-9593. A
trained community caregiver will
be assigned to the caller based on
their needs. Caregivers will be
available over the phone and in
person to provide ongoing support. All information shared by the
recipient of care will be strictly
confidential.
Caregivers will receive ongoing
training and supervision from
mental health clinicians and spiritual support from Swami
Tadatmananda.
All services from the Jana
Raksha Community Care Program
are offered free of charge.

Balaji Temple to host
Gundecha brothers

Rajan Zed seen being honored

MARYLAND: Sri Siva Vishnu
Temple in Lanham (Maryland,
USA), a prominent Hindu temple
of America, has honored Hindu
statesman Rajan Zed for his services to the community.
Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, was
garlanded; a shawl was presented
to him; and Sanskrit mantras were
recited by Temple priests to bless
him during his visit on May 25.
Ms. Mythili Bachu, Temple President, was also present.
Rajan Zed is one of the panelists for “On Faith”, a prestigious
interactive conversation on religion produced jointly by
N e w s w e e k
and washingtonpost.com. He has
been awarded “World Interfaith

Leader Award” by National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families.
Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, one of
the largest in western hemisphere, incorporates Mayan,
Pallava, Vijayanagara, Kerala and
the South Canara styles of
temple architecture. It was built
with the blessings of the
Shankaracharyas, under the direction of eminent temple architect Dr. Ganapati Sthapati, and
houses several Sannidhis with
deities like Andal, Ayyappa,
Durga, Ganesha, Hanuman,
Karthikeya, Krishna, Lakshmi,
Navagrahas, Parvathi, Rama,
Saraswathi, Siva, Sudarsana,
Venkateshwara, and Vishnu.
Open to all, Sri Siva Vishnu

Temple holds free-of-charge
seminars
on
Vedanta,
Upanishads, ethics, and Hinduism; classes on meditation, Sanskrit, astrology, Vedas, yoga,
Hindu philosophy and culture,
and world religions; discussion
series on Bhagavad-Gita,
Puranas, Bhagavatam, Ramayan;
daily-weekly-monthly pujas
(worship); and discourses on
Hindu scriptures and philosophy. It also participates in various interfaith events in the region. Its children’s educational
programs include recitation of
shlokas, Puranas storytelling,
and performing of pujas. It makes
sandwiches for the homeless
fortnightly and offers yoga for
seniors.

Gundecha brothers

Cont’d from page 13

They have more than 25 commercial recordings to their credit,
including an award winning
Dhrupad sound track for the environmental film "Raga of River
Narmada". Apart from being an
integral part of all of India's prestigious music festivals, the Broth-

ers have also performed at many
important international music festivals and institutions.
When not touring and performing, the Gundechas devote themselves to teaching Dhrupad at
their international school of music in Bhopal, India and at the prestigious Shri Ram Bhartiya Kala
Kendra in New Delhi.

June 11, 2010

Community Across America

India Post 19

www.indiapost.com

Survey shows unprecedented impact of AAHOA
India Post News Service

the equivalent of 436,900 full-time
jobs plus additional part-time workATLANTA, GA: The Asian ers, who are paid $9.4 billion anAmerican Hotel Owners Associa- nually in salaries and wages. Paytion (AAHOA) is often referred to roll taxes, subsidized health insuras one of the most powerful orga- ance, vacation pay, and pension
nizations in the hospitality indus- contribution add another $2.5 biltry - and now a comprehensive lion in compensation.
AAHOA hoteliers are typically
new independent research project
small business enproves that's true.
trepreneurs, but
The study conducted by the ‘The findings of this have established
portfolios that inprestigious At- research are
clude numerous
lanta-based firm of simple but there's
full-service, limitedPKF Hospitality
service, and indeResearch (PFK- nothing simple
pendent lodging faHR) - shows that about the hard
cilities. They have
the 10,000 members
work, commitstrong roots in their
of AAHOA own
communities and
20,156
hotels ment, and busigenerate a powerful
which together ness acumen that
local "ripple" ecohave almost 1.8 milnomic
effect
lion rooms and a our members
through their expenproperty value of have continually
diture of operating
$128.7 billion.
demonstrated
expenses plus capiPKF-HR findtal investments.
ings are based on a
For example, AAHOA members
typical year of operation. According to widely accepted industry re- spend more than $31 billion annusearch, AAHOA members own more ally on operating costs that inthan 40 percent of the total number clude:
• $11.9 billion on labor
of hotels in the United States and
• $2.3 billion on utilities
39 percent of all of the guest rooms.
• $2.2 billion on payments to
Employment at these hotels totals 578,600 employees, including franchise companies for royalty

"These numbers dramatically
confirm the significant role that
Asian American hoteliers play
both in our industry and in our
country's economy," said Tarun S.
Patel, AAHOA Chairman. "These
survey results will be invaluable
as we advocate on behalf of our
members with franchisors, legislators, bankers, and others."

"The findings of this research are
simple but there's nothing simple
about the hard work, commitment,
and business acumen that our members have continually demonstrated
in order to achieve this unmatched
level of influence and impact in an
industry that's complex, competitive,
and cyclical," said Fred Schwartz,
AAHOA President.

There is a reason Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
is one of the nation's leading retail mortgage lenders
• Wide selection of conventional and government loans,
including FHA ﬁnancing
• New construction ﬁnancing

• Since 2002, ranked among top 10 volume producers for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Alameda County
• One of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s top 125 volume producers in the nation
• Winner of numerous Sales and Service awards during his 17 years

LOS ANGELES: The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
continues to lay to rest its victims -- 98 so far -- from the horrific May 28 simultaneous terrorist attacks on their two Mosques
in Lahore, Pakistan. A Punjabbased Pakistani Taliban group
has claimed responsibility for the
brutal attacks, with continued
threats being made against the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
at large.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community within Pakistan remains
under constant threats and persecution, while the government,
police and anti-terrorist security
forces stand idly by doing nothing. Throughout Lahore and in
many other areas of Pakistan,
anti-Ahmadiyya banners and billboards remain in place today, calling for the continued boycotting,
persecution and outright murder
of any and all members of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Cont’d on page 22

OCTaxPAC endorses
Harry Sidhu
candidature
India Post News Service

ORANGE: The Orange County
Taxpayers Association Political
Action Committee (OCTaxPAC)
has announced its support for
Harry Sidhu for Orange County
Supervisor.
In a statement it says,
OCTaxPAC supports your primary-election campaign to become
Orange County's 4th District Supervisor.... Your endorsement by
OCTaxPAC came after detailed interviews with you and the other
candidates, followed by considerable discussion.

Dr. Ami Bera proves to be a
tremendous fundraiser

Ami Bera with his wife Janine and daughter Sydra
India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: California’s
Third Congressional District is
one of the top pick-up opportunities for Democrats nationally. This
is due, in large part, to IndianAmerican Dr. Ami Bera. Since making his formal announcement into
the race, Dr. Bera has proven to be
a tremendous fundraiser with a
strong commitment to voter outreach. In fact, Dr. Bera is one of
only a few challengers in the country to outraise an incumbent opponent. Bera has outraised his
opponent in the last four consecutive fundraising quarters.
Bera’s early success has Democrats around the nation engaged
and excited about the 3rd Congressional District.
Recently, Bera was named to the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) prestigious Red to Blue Program, awarded
to only a select few challenger races
in the country. This program is

saved only for the few top-tier
pickup opportunities nationally and
provides strategic support, helping
ensure a strong finish against the
vulnerable Dan Lungren.
Lungren has lost significant
support in the 3rd Congressional

As doctor administrator

29,616 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the 3rd
Congressional District. In March
2009, only 39.6% of the registered
voters affiliated as Republicans
compared to 37.7% for Democrats
– a negligible 2% advantage. In

Dr. Ami Bera is a lifelong Californian and the
youngest son of parents who emigrated from
India in the 1950s. Benefiting from a strong family, stable community, and public schools, Ami
was able to attend the University of California,
Irvine (UCI) where he received his undergraduate and medical degrees, and where he met
his future wife, Dr. Janine Bera
District, with his share of the vote
declining from 62% when he was
first elected to 49% in 2008.
Lungren’s waning popularity is
only amplified by recent voter registration statistics, which reflect a
much stronger Democratic presence.
As recently as 2004, there were

Sacramento County, the Republican advantage has declined to less
than 3,000 votes. For the first time,
the 3rd Congressional District segment of Solano County is slightly
more Democratic than Republican.
The downward trajectory of
Lungren’s popularity, the strength

India Post News Service

India Post News Service

GARDEN GROVE: Grace
Whitcomb, manager for Southern
California Edison's (SCE) supplier
diversity and development division, has been named a minority
small-business champion of the
year by the U.S. Small Business
Administration. Whitcomb accepted the honor at a luncheon
here.

Cont’d on page 23

Cont’d on page 22

Wells Fargo honors two South Asian students

Cont’d on page 22

So Cal Edison's
Diversity Manager
honored

of Dr. Bera’s candidacy, and the rapidly changing make up of CA 3 has
Ami Bera poised for success this
November.
Dr. Ami Bera is a lifelong Californian and the youngest son of
parents who emigrated from India
in the 1950s. Benefiting from a
strong family, stable community,
and public schools, Ami was able
to attend the University of California, Irvine (UCI) where he received his undergraduate and
medical degrees, and where he met
his future wife, Dr. Janine Bera.
Ami’s career spans both the
private and public sectors. After
graduating from UCI Medical
School, Ami joined the Mercy
Medical Group (MMG) as an Internist and became Chief of Internal Medicine for MMG.
Ami very quickly understood how
a hospital should run, and he became
the Medical Director for Care Management at the five-hospital Mercy
Healthcare system in Sacramento.

CUPERTINO: Eight-year old
South Asian students Aditya
Godavarti and Sharanya Das of
Cupertino are ending the school
year with a significant accomplishment to be proud of.
The second grade students
were named winners in the annual
"Growing Up Asian in America"
art and essay contest which was
created by the Asian Pacific Fund
in 1995 to provide a forum for
Asian youth to explore and value
their Asian American heritage.
Wells Fargo Bank is a sponsor of
the contest. This year's theme,
"Expectations - to be and do what
is in your heart," called for art,

Sharanya Das and Aditya Godavarti, both eight years old, each received
$500 from Wells Fargo for placing in the top three in their age group in Asian
Pacific Fund's "Growing Up Asian in America" contest

essay and poem submissions
from kindergarten to 12th grade
representing what they want to
be when they grow up, offering
images of astronauts, doctors
and chefs. Contest organizers
say, in their young minds, the
sky's the limit, and they see how
their Asian heritage inspires their
ambitions.
Godavarti, a student of Eaton
Elementary, earned the first place
prize in the K-5 category. His
dream of becoming a young veterinarian was expressed in his
drawing that featured him wearing a white doctor's coat helping
dozens of sick animals.
Cont’d on page 23

India Post 21

June 11, 2010
www.indiapost.com

Kaliyuga Kaarana Janmi

For The First Time In Los Angeles

SWAMY SRI VEERA RUDRA YOGI
PALM READER

Swami Ji is a specialist in

Call Swamiji for solutions in:

Aghora Rudra Rituals and Poojas

FAMILY
MARRIAGE
HEALTH
WEALTH
BUSINESS
PROPERTY
MONEY

Swamy Sri Veera Rudra Yogi Ji has attend Mahayoga
Siddhi at an early age. He has learnt Mantras, Pooja,
its’ Neeti and Reeti from the great sages of Varanasi,
Aghoris and Himagiri Shivasiddi in Himalayas.

His Divya Dhrushti
(Divine consciousness)
can ﬁnd a permanent solution
for your problems.

100% GUARANTEE

Swamy Sri Veera Rudra Yogi ji is
a specialist in removing Katoragni
Black Magic. He is a Kaarana Janmi
of this time, born for a reason to save
everyone who believes in him from
Pralayas (disasters). He performs
very ancient and powerful Poojas
which dates back around 4000 years
ago such as Brahma Tejas, Agni
hotra, Sharapanjaram, Sookshma
Kaarya Siddi to shake away
darkness such as Omen. Evil Spirits
such as Saitan, Shenkini, Yenkini,
Daakini and Mohini. Mantra, Tantra,
Kutantra will be removed completely.
Athala Vithala Paathala, Akhila
Boomandala Chanda Prachanda
Marthanda Daivagnani.

22

Community/California

India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Ahmadiyyas persecuted by same terrorists who attack US
India Post News Service

LOS
ANGELES:
The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
continues to lay to rest its victims
-- 98 so far -- from the horrific May
28 simultaneous terrorist attacks on
their two Mosques in Lahore, Pakistan. A Punjab-based Pakistani
Taliban group has claimed responsibility for the brutal attacks, with
continued threats being made
against the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community at large.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community within Pakistan remains
under constant threats and persecution, while the government, police and anti-terrorist security
forces stand idly by doing nothing. Throughout Lahore and in
many other areas of Pakistan, antiAhmadiyya banners and billboards

remain in place today, calling for
the continued boycotting, persecution and outright murder of any
and all members of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community.
The May 28 incident is the worst
attack to date in Pakistan since the
community was declared nonMuslim in 1974 and subsequently
forbidden in a 1984 constitutional
amendment to preach, profess or
in any way practice their Islamic
faith. Countless members of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in
the U.S. have suffered the tragic
loss of their family and relatives.
Imam Shamshad Ahmad Nasir
from the Baitul Hameed Mosque in
Chino, California states, "We have
been victims of state-sponsored
terrorism since 1974 when the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community were declared a non-

Media men covering the massacre in Pakistan crouch for safety

Muslim minority. Later, in 1984, the
military dictator General Ziaul Haq,
the mastermind of the Taliban
movement, went a step further and

A victim being rushed to hospital

Dr. Ami Bera proves to be a
tremendous fundraiser
Cont’d from page 20

A career in public service beckoned as Ami went on to become
the Medical Director and Chief
Medical Officer for Sacramento
County and its 1.3 million residents. Here, Dr. Bera created the
Sac Advantage program to help
small businesses more easily insure its employees, reducing the
number of uninsured in Sacramento County and lowering the
cost of care for all.
Ami became a Professor and
Dean of Admissions at UC Davis
Medical School, mentoring future
doctors and exploring ways to
make treatment more affordable.
Ami, his wife Janine, and his
daughter have lived in Elk Grove,
California, the most populated city
in California’s 3rd Congressional
District since 1995.
Ami is running for Congress

because he believes the moment
is right to bring new energy to the
American story, with the faith that
we can establish a more just, compassionate, and healthy world.
Ami believes that with the right
leadership and a collective effort,
together, we can create:
A quality, affordable health care
system that provides compassionate, cost-effective, and essential
coverage to all; that reduces the
cost of services without compromising quality of care; and that
minimizes interference of government or the insurance industry in
decisions that should be made
between the patient and their care
provider.
Strong schools that prepare our
kids to compete for the jobs of the
21st century economy. It’s not
enough to just have the best
schools and the best teachers. As
parents, we need to turn off the

TVs and video games, and ensure
kids do their homework.
A vibrant economy that rewards those who work hard and
play by the rules, not corporate
CEOs who exploit loopholes and
leave others to clean up their mess;
that encourages competition and
innovation without exploiting
hard-working middle-class Americans; and that harnesses American creativity to once again position our economy as one of the
strongest in the world, so we
don’t continue to rack up debt that
future generations will inherit.
A common-sense, responsible
plan for energy independence that
develops our sustainable industries – like wind and solar – to
achieve economic prosperity,
clean air and water, and independence from foreign oil, making
America safer and putting Americans back to work.

criminalized all Muslim acts of worship when performed by an
Ahmadi. Coincidently, the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is
persecuted by the same terrorists
who exist to attack the United
States."
Despite such bloodshed, the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
has responded with continued advocacy towards peace. It maintains
its adherence to the Islamic tenet
that there is no place for violence
of any kind, since reverence for life
is a part of Islam.
The community has not retaliated in any manner, nor held rallies
or other demonstrations despite
continual persecution. A massive
letter-writing campaign has begun,
requesting the U.S. government to
apply pressure on Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws and ordinances within their constitution
that are routinely used to sanction
and justify the persecution and killing of Ahmadi Muslims, Christians,

Jews and other religious minorities
in Pakistan. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has faced intense
governmental and extremist persecution in Pakistan for nearly 40
years.
In a statement issued from London by the Fifth Khalifa, or spiritual leader, of the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,
His Holiness Mirza Masroor
Ahmad said:
"The situation in Pakistan is extremely grave. For decades,
Ahmadi Muslims have not been
able to live in peace; in fact, they
live their lives in constant danger.
In 1974, Ahmadi Muslims were declared "non-Muslims" by the government of Pakistan, and then ten
years later, the infamous ordinance
XX was adopted [as an amendment
to the Pakistan Constitution] which
criminalized all forms of Ahmadi
worship and the practice of its faith.
Cont’d on page 23

OCTaxPAC endorses Harry
Sidhu candidature
India Post News Service

ORANGE: The Orange County
Taxpayers Association Political
Action Committee (OCTaxPAC)
has announced its support for
Harry Sidhu for Orange County
Supervisor.
In a statement it says,
OCTaxPAC supports your primary-election campaign to become
Orange County's 4th District Supervisor.... Your endorsement by
OCTaxPAC came after detailed interviews with you and the other
candidates, followed by considerable discussion. The selection
committee considered your background as a successful small-business owner. We reviewed your
seven-year record as a city
councilmember who actively reduced government regulations
and fees, supported private prop-

erty rights, created private-sector
jobs, and heard both sides of any
issue before making a decision.
"We concluded that you share
OCTaxPAC's belief that taxes and
tax-supported programs should
be 'fair, understandable, cost effective, and good for the
economy' (OCTaxPAC's mission
statement)."
It was pointed out that
• Harry Sidhu is a proven businessman and conservative tax
fighter.
• Harry Sidhu built his business from the ground up and now
employs over 120 people in Orange County.
• As a City Councilman, Harry
Sidhu has consistently opposed
tax and fee increases
• Harry Sidhu and his family
have lived in Anaheim for over 16
years.

Community/California

June 11, 2010

India Post 23

www.indiapost.com

Wells Fargo honors two
South Asian students

So Cal Edison's Diversity
Manager honored

by Aditya Godavarti

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 20

Das, a student at Faria Elementary, received the second place
prize in the K-5 category. She has
career aspirations of becoming an
astronaut to help find new sources
of energy in space.
To show its support and commitment to the students, Wells
Fargo Bank honored Das and
Godavarti at a special celebration
held at its Cupertino store in late
May. Wells Fargo awarded them
with $500 in a savings account and
each winner received a proclama-

tion from Cupertino Mayor Kris
Wang.
"Wells Fargo is proud to support the 'Growing Up Asian in
America' contest," said Bob
Ceglio, Wells Fargo Peninsula Regional President. "This is an educational learning experience that
teaches young kids about their
heritage and also challenges them
to work hard and have goals."
The winning art and essays are
reproduced in an exhibit hosted by
public libraries throughout the
Bay Area between May 2010 and
February 2011.

India Post News Service

GARDEN GROVE: Grace
Whitcomb, manager for Southern
California Edison's (SCE) supplier
diversity and development division, has been named a minority
small-business champion of the
year by the U.S. Small Business

Ahmadiyyas persecuted by same
terrorists who attack US
Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 22

"These laws effectively legitimized the exclusion and persecution of our community in Pakistan.
Ever since then, extremists have
taken advantage of these laws to
target Ahmadis.
"Despite this cruelty Ahmadis

By Sharanya Das

Administration. Whitcomb accepted the honor at a luncheon
here. The Small Business Administration annually honors individuals for their dedication to
helping minority small-businesses. Whitcomb was recognized for her work in Region IX,
which includes California, Ne-

have remained loyal citizens of
Pakistan and have never shown
any form of civil disobedience.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at
is a peace-loving, true Muslim
Community. Thus, there will be
no improper reaction from any
Ahmadi.
"Our salvation lies in our sup-

plications to God Almighty, and
we believe that He has, and always will, help us. No terrorist
and no government can ever stop
the progress of our Community
because it is a Divine organization. May God protect all goodnatured people from the evil acts
of those opposed to peace."

24 India Post

www.indiapost.com

June 11, 2010

Horoscope

June 11, 2010

India Post

25

www.indiapost.com

ARIES
Mar 21-Apr 20
There is a strong chance of some kind
of Jackpot. Investment made in the past
will get you tons of money and have
no fear about new partners in business, they will play on your tune later
on. People earlier suffering from ailments will cured with help of new
medications. There will be some dramatic positive change in career.

LEO
Jul 23-Aug 22
Property deal will also close this week.
Just watch out for a shady character
trying to flirt and come too close.
People in business will be cheerful to
see their sales almost double up in
short period. You are very close to
getting some money out of a pending
litigation. You may travel to a real nice
and warm area with family.

SAGITTARIUS

June 11th
to
June 17th

Nov 23-Dec 22
You will put some assets in market to
reduce ongoing financial pressure.
Mind will be inclined towards spiritually and it will help restore peace in
mind. You will be invited to couple of
upcoming social events. There are
strong chances of money through legal procedure. You will call someone
for direction and advice.

India's name dropped from
controversial Israeli statement
JERUSALEM: In a damagecontrol exercise, Israel has
dropped India's name from a
controversial statement in
which it had referred to violence
in India to justify its attack on
an aid flotilla to Gaza that created a storm.
"India was mentioned in the
press release by mistake. It was
totally unintentional", Israel's
Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman's media adviser Tzachi
Moshe told PTI.
"The moment it came to our
notice, the release was corrected
and reference to India was
dropped," Moshe said.
His comments came a day after
an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement quoting Lieberman as telling
UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon said that incidents in countries like India and Pakistan in the
past one month which claimed
over 500 lives have been "ignored"
while the Jewish state is being

condemned for its "unmistakably
defensive actions".
Earlier, Israeli Ambassador to
India Mark Sofer said in New Delhi
that this was a "regrettable error"
and that his country "does not see
India in the same light as it sees
its enemies." India was a close
friend, he emphasized.
Sofer said already the name of
India has been removed from the
speech of his Foreign Minister and
"we are taking this up to make sure
that any misunderstanding risen
out of this error of this nature will
no longer be there."
He also said "Israel stands
hook, line and sinker behind India
in its struggle in South Asia."
In an emergency session, the
UN Security Council had called for
an investigation into Israel's
deadly commando raid on six
ships taking humanitarian aid to
the Gaza Strip, condemning the act
that resulted in the loss of at least
nine lives. -PTI

TAURUS
Apr 21-May 20
It will be a hectic week, Limited time
and so many important places to visit.
You will buy some expensive but useful item for the house. Things will be
more relaxed at work and even of of
your colleague will offer his help. Transiting Sun in second can get you some
money through stocks also. Do not hesitate to try your hands at lottery.

VIRGO
Aug 23-Sept 22
There will be lots of activities in career. You may finally receive more than
one contract in your hands. Seems like
a female will be instrumental on the
other side for these. It will be better to
ignore the immature comment from a
sibling. You will be going on a short trip
with children to attend a social event
this week.

CAPRICORN
Dec 23-Jan 19
Health issues will come under controls with right procedure and medication. You may win some money in
lottery too. Spouse will get emotional
quick so have patience with her. You
will be working on several brilliant
ideas and one of them will click soon.
Business meetings will go well but results will come next week.

GEMINI
May 21-Jun 20
Money may pour in from totally unexpected places. Old payments will finally show up and the business should
also pick up suddenly. You will be
making frequent phone calls to a sibling and exchange few good news.
Your past actions will pay off now
and you will be admired by everyone
at the party.

LIBRA
Sept 23-Oct 22
There will be lots of excitement about
an upcoming trip. People in business
will see a sudden surge in sales with
new first time clients. An old appeal
will get accepted and you will receive
the confirmation letter. Your car will
need minor repairs. Boss will be happy
with your performance and make necessary recommendations.

AQUARIUS
Jan 20-Feb 18
Some of you will get a lucky break in
career. Position you always wanted
will be offered with better benefits. You
may spend an evening with people
from political background. Kids will be
excited about an upcoming long distance trip. Money wise you will continue to do well and meet all commitments on time.

CANCER
Jun 21-Jul 22
You may be sending some money overseas for a very good reason. Drive
within speed limits when on freeway
and traveling long distance. Some one
who was too close long ago will once
again try to flirt with you. Legal matters will start moving in the right direction and a comfortable settlement is
almost within your reach in a few days.

SCORPIO
Oct 23-Nov 22
Chances of making money through
stocks are very strong. You will become very ambitious and try your
hands in different directions and will
get some results too. Some of you
may join a short term course to improve your changes in this challenging world. Children will keep you involved and plan more than one trip.

PISCES
Feb 19-Mar 20
Idea of legal action to prove your point
will cross your mind. Strategy will silence people who have been taking
undue advantage of your generosity.
You may be assigned a lighter project
by the boss. You will visit an old friend
with family this week. There are
strong chance of a second source of
income opening this week.

26

June 11, 2010

India Post
www.indiapost.com

27

1 Khili Re - Raavan

6 Bekarar - Paathshaala

2 Ghum Suhm Ghum Suhm - IAWA

7 Ranjha Ranjha - Raavan

3 Dont Know What To Do - Housefull

8

4 Mein Tenu Samjjawan - Virsa

9 Rang De - Bumm Bumm Bole

5 Chaska - Badmaash Company

28

www.indiapost.com

India Post

Yaadan - Virsa

10 Ankahi Si - Chase

June 11, 2010

Kat is

Deepika
the
rebel

willing

G

orgeous Katrina Kaif is every man's dream
girl. Here is good news for all the single men
across the world. The lovely lady is looking
forward to settle down in life sooner then later. In a
recent interview, the actress admitted that she is open
to the idea of marriage but is waiting for the right
man to step into her life. Katrina has also confessed
that she is an extremely emotional person and would
react whimsically at times. She said that all the link
up stories with her co-actors are baseless and often
depress her. Well, after Salman's exit, let's see who
will be the lucky man to woo her heart.
From being just another pretty face, to becoming
one of India's most loved actresses, Katrina Kaif really has a story to tell the world.
Says Katrina, who was recently voted
Asia's Sexiest Woman:
"Me? Hot and sexy?
Nah. People should
see me at home.
I'm painfully
unglamorous.
Just another
working girl
making a
living."

D

eepika Padukone is all set to appear
in a totally non-glamorous avatar in
Ashutosh Gowariker's period epic
'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se', where she plays
the role of a revolutionary named Kalpana
Datta. Designer Neeta Lulla has draped
Deepika in traditional Bengali saris for the
film and is said to have done research for her
Bengali look. "It is a single pallu drape, twice
over the shoulder. When she was doing her
action sequences, like any other normal sari,
we tucked it around her waist," Lulla said.
For Deepika, doing all their stunts in a sari,
draped in the traditional way, was a challenge
because every time Deepika was to run, the
sari would come in her way. This period film
is based on Manini Chatterjee's book 'Do and
Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34' and
Deepika's character Kalpana is a strong and
independent woman who joined the mutiny
because she believed in the cause. "Kalpana
is not the kind of woman who will sit at home
waiting for her husband to return," says
Deepika about her character. Deepika's athletic background helped her with the action
sequences. "It is nice to do your own stunts
given the challenges they offer. I am very
spontaneous and did not need the help of a
body double," she said.

Cancer bond

O

ne look at the curvaceous Barbara Mori and one
is apt to be mesmerized by the sensuality oozing
out from her, but very few people know that sexy
Barbara is strong too. The lady has fought and emerged
victorious from the deadly cancer. The disease was diagnosed
in its early stages and so, Mori didn't need chemo but had to
undergo an operation to have the cancer removed. By God's
grace, she is OK now but says that she makes sure to never
skip her check-ups to avoid any problems.
Barbara shares this pain of hers with 'Kites' director
Anurag Basu who himself had fought and survived leukemia. Initially, both were unaware of this fact but after
Barbara spoke to Anurag about her past illness Anurag
too poured his heart out to her about his battle with leukemia. "From that point we became soul buddies," recounts Basu emotionally adding, "I feel both Barbara and
I have emerged stronger human beings after fighting our
illnesses. It definitely makes you understand the world
around you better. My best work came after my illness.
That can't be a coincidence. When you fight death you
understand life better. I'm sure it's true for Barbara as well."
Barbara has shared this battle of hers in Namrata Singh
Gujral's docu-drama titled 1 a Minute, to release in 2010.

Bollywood

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Hiring
Mallika

B

ollywood's bold and
beautiful Mallika
Sherawat, prefers to
be seen with the Chings-&Changs and Yin-&-Yangs
these days. Well, this time
round its California, that
Mallika is making news in.
She turned a number of
heads with her trademark deep
neck, recently at a fund-raising, wine-testing luncheon in
Malibu.
Grapevine is that, the actress, was auctioned, and the
winning bidder got to spend
a day with her - you know
the usual lunch, photoshoots and all. The money
($1400) of course went towards charity. Great going
Mallika.

India Post

29

India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA: Internationally
renowned musician and composer AR
Rahman is embarking on a highly anticipated world tour. The "A.R. Rahman Jai
Ho Concert: The Journey Home World
Tour" produced by Deepak Gattani and
Rapport Productions, will kick off on June
11 in New York at The Nassau Coliseum.
The tour will travel to over 20 major arenas and cities worldwide including The
Forum in Los Angeles, The Patriot Center
in Washington DC, American Airlines
Arena in Dallas as well as O2 Arena in
London to name a few.
Rahman's rise to prominence in the
west came when he captured the world
spotlight last year with his work on the
film score for Danny Boyle's Slumdog
Millionaire winning a Golden Globe, two
Academy Awards and most recently two
Grammys.
As a touring musician, as well as
composer, Rahman
has long been filling
arenas with his elaborate
and stunning live performances. Time Magazine summarized his popularity back home by saying "A.R. Rahman dominates the music
industry so totally that he has supplied
the sound track for a whole generation."
Rahman has sold-out international arenas including the prestigious Hollywood
Bowl in 2006 and has played for crowds
as large as 120,000 in his home country
of India. Now, this summer, audiences
have a rare opportunity to experience
a must-see concert event with "A.R.
Rahman Jai Ho Concert: The Jour-

ney Home World Tour."
On his forthcoming tour, Rahman will
collaborate with creative director Amy
Tinkham who is known for creating live
musical concerts for a variety of pop-music icons including Britney Spears, the
Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey. "A.R.
Rahman Jai Ho Concert: The Journey
Home World Tour" will be a theatrical experience that will blend new technologies
with powerful dance arrangements and
acrobatics.
The concert will keep in intact the heritage and traditions of India with a new
modern presentation. The show will feature changing sets, large images on LED
screens and a spectacular cast of musicians and dancers from across the globe.
"Through the vast tapestry of music
that is AR Rahman, he takes us on a
virtual journey through beauty, culture,
and spirituality," said Tinkhman. "This
is uniquely Indian - both ancient and
modern."
The material spans throughout AR's
prolific career, including songs from
Slumdog Millionaire as well as landmark
Indian films Lagaan, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane
Na, Dil Se, Rang De Basanti and Roja'.
Roja was a run-away success and brought
nationwide fame and acclaim to the
Rahman. Time Magazine rated the
soundtrack of Roja in the Top 10 of their
all time best movie soundtracks of the
world. The movie also won Rahman the

30

www.indiapost.com

India Post

The concert will keep in intact the heritage and
traditions of India with a new modern presentation. The show will feature changing sets, large
images on LED screens and a spectacular cast of
musicians and dancers from across the globe.
‘Through the vast tapestry of music that is AR
Rahman, he takes us on a virtual journey through
beauty, culture, and spirituality,’ said Tinkhman
Indian National Award for the best music composer,
the first time ever by a debutant. Since then, Rahman
has gone on to win the National Award three more
times, the most ever by any music composer.
AR Rahman's music has not only redefined contemporary Indian music but also transcends boundaries. Earlier this month, Rahman traveled Australia
on a journey of peace where he performed a free
concert at the Sydney Festival in Australia as part of
the 2010 festival program. The concert was a gesture
of cultural diplomacy and goodwill by Rahman himself in an effort to ease the current tensions in Australian and Indian relations, as a result of the attacks
on Indian students in Australia.
The concert was one of the most anticipated
events of the three-week festival and packed in nearly
75,000 people into Parramatta Park, many of whom
camped over night to see Rahman and his troupe of
nearly 40 musicians and dancers.
Cont’d on page 39

June 11, 2010

June 11, 2010

India Post

31

www.indiapost.com

ACE Open launches virtual music school
are priced $1000 for 50 lessons or
about $20 a lesson, Chitale said
the model was the cheapest and
most convenient for students of
quality music education anywhere in the world. "ACE will offer self-paced specialized music
learning sessions around the clock
where learners are not bound to a

India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: In a first-of-itskind online venture, New Jerseybased ACE Open University has
launched a virtual music school
with music luminaries Suresh
Wadkar and Sonu Nigam among
its teachers.
The music school was officially launched by Wadkar at the
Holiday Inn in Edison, NJ.
Wadkar's classical school of music is the first one signed up by
ACE while Bickram Ghosh's
School Of Percussions and Jay
Oliver's Western Music are also
part of the curriculum.
Emphasizing the role of music, Wadkar said, "Music makes
a valuable contribution to the
total education of children especially in relation to academic performance, well-being, attitudes
to school and perceptions of
learning." He felt it was good for
Indian classical music now that
it had proponents like ACE Open
that could take it virtually anywhere in the world.
Award-winning singer Sonu
Nigam, who joined the launch
event via video phone, said ACE
Open had a pivotal role in ensuring music learning was not limited
by international boundaries.

Gradually, ACE Open
aims to become a
one-stop for world
music by achieving
classical literature
and music from
around the world
Singer and music teacher Suresh Wadkar, right, with Sanjay Chitale, founder of ACE Open University,
at the launch of ACE online music curriculum in Edison, NJ

"With ACE, instructors of the highest caliber can share their knowledge across national and international borders, allowing students
to attend courses across physical,
political, and economic boundaries," he said.
ACE has also signed up Nigam,
who will be teaching voice development, professional singing and
performance.
ACE, which simply stands for

Art, Culture & Entertainment,
seeks to build the foundation for
students to become successful
professionals and passionate,
thoughtful citizens using modern educational approach.
"Through a combination of
strong ART core, able teaching
guidance and relevant curriculum, we will enrich the lives of
our students, fulfill their career
objectives and help them prepare

All set for Rahman concert
Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 38

Rahman has had several high
profile placements and appearances in the last year. He was featured in "The Time 100: The
World's Most Influential People"
as well as Fast Company's "100
Most Creative People in Business." He appeared on The Oprah
Winfrey Show and The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno. Last November, Rahman was invited to perform at The White House for the
first state visit for Prime Minister
Singh, hosted by President Barack
Obama. Rahman was also featured
in the re-make of "We Are The
World" alongside Wyclef Jean,
Jennifer Hudson, Barbara
Streisand and Celine Dion to name
a few.
AR Rahman Jai Ho: The Journey Home World Tour Dates:
11-Jun New York Nassau Coliseum
12-Jun New Jersey Broadwalk
Arena
13-Jun Washington, DC Patriot
Center
18-Jun Chicago Sears Center
19-Jun Detroit Silver Dome Stadium

to become future leaders in the
vast creative economy," said
Sanjay Chitale, a serial entrepreneur, and founder of ACE Open.
Emergence of the Internet and secured delivery technologies had
made it possible to accommodate
on-line training cost-effectively
and efficiently. E-learning can
provide major benefits for the
music education, said Chitale.
While the ACE Open courses

specific time to physically attend
classes," he said. Other than
beginner's, intermediate and advance course offerings in each
school of music, ACE Open also
plans to design a music appreciation course for casual listeners.
Gradually, ACE Open aims to
become a one-stop for world music by achieving classical literature and music from around the
world. "We will extend support to
universities and colleges as their
extended world music department," Chitale said.

Poking fun at love stories
MUMBAI: The unusual pairing of Sonam Kapoor and Imran
Khan in 'I Hate Luv Storys' has
generated quite a buzz and filmmaker Karan Johar who is producing the rom-com says that it
is the freshness of the two
young actors which is the
USP of the film.
Johar says that the film
and its lead pair are sure to
click with the younger generation who do not accept
the old fashioned ideals of
love.
"The two form a very
fresh pair and that should
work for the audience. In
fact ever since the promotion of IHLS began, there
has been excellent feedback all over. People are reacting
to the freshness factor. There is a
youthful energy which they bring
and that is pretty much visible in
the film," the filmmaker told PTI.
The film which parodies the
romantic cliches of Bollywood
sees Sonam playing a 'filmi' romantic while Imran plays a cynic
who hates love stories.
Both Imran and Sonam are
new entrants in the industry and

neither have delivered a hit in
the past year, but Johar is sure
that their chemistry will work
wonders.
Imran didn't have much luck

Imran Khan and
Sonam Kapoor

running in his favor after 'Luck'
and 'Kidnap' and Sonam too is
yet to find her groove despite
biggies like 'Saawariya' and 'Delhi
6' behind her.
"Imran has already shown so
much promise in his very first film
'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa'. On the
other hand everyone knows that
Sonam is beautiful and good at
playing the girl-next-door," said
Johar. -PTI

32 India Post

T

he sacred Mount Kailash and
Mansarovar Lake, over 865 kms
from Delhi, constitute one of the
grandest of Himalayan beauty
spots. The perpetual snow-clad peak of
holy Kailas of hoary antiquity and celebrity, the spotless design of nature's art, of
most bewitching and overpowering
beauty, has a vibration of the supreme
order from the spiritual point of view. It
seems to stand as an immediate revelation of the Almighty in concrete form,
which makes man bend his knees and
lower his head in reverence. Its gorgeous
silvery summit, resplendent with the luster of spiritual aura, pierces into a heavenly height of 6690 meters (22028 feet)
above the level of the sea.
Mansarovar is the most fascinating, the
most inspiring, the most famous of all lakes

www.indiapost.com

in the world and the most ancient that civilization knows. It is famous in Hindu mythology. The lake is majestically calm and
dignified like a huge bluish green emerald
or a pure turquoise set between two mighty
and equally majestic silver mountains, the
Kailas on the north and the Gurla Mandhata

with a circumference of about 88 kms and a
depth of nearly 90 meters covers an area of
about 320 sq. kms. By far the most magnificent and thrilling of one's experience would
be in winter when the whole lake freezes
hard, and again in spring when the ice breaks
and melts to clear blue waters. It is only the

At sunset the whole of the Kailas range in the north
becomes a fiery region all of a sudden, throwing an
observer into a trance, and by the time he returns to
consciousness he sees only the Silvery Peak in front
on the south and between the sister lake
Rakshas Tal or Ravan Harda on the west
and some hills on the east.
Stretching majestically over an extensive
cradle of the Tibetan plateau and hanging
at a heavenly height of 4550 mts (14950 feet)
above sea-level, the vast expanse of the lake

inspired poet or the divine artist with his
magic colors that can, for instance, describe
and represent adequately the beauty and
grandeur of sunrise and sunset on the lake.
The water of Mansarovar is as sweet as that
of any river or of any glacial lake. The holy
manas provides fine caves, camping ground

June 11, 2010

and good sites to pilgrims. At certain places
the site is rocky or sandy. On full moon
nights, with the full moon overhead, the
scene is simply indescribable.
At sunset the whole of the Kailas range
in the north becomes a fiery region all of a
sudden, throwing an observer into a
trance, and by the time he returns to consciousness he sees only the Silvery Peak
in front.
The weather is always uncertain. One
moment you have scorching Sun, the next
moment it begins to hail and snow and
shortly after having a nap and coming out
of your camp, you will see a clear blue sky
and bright Sun above and a bed of pearllike hail and white snow on the ground.
Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 34

June 11, 2010

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

33

www.indiapost.com

HP told to prepare vision
document for tourism
SHIMLA: Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja has asked the
Himachal Pradesh government to
prepare a "vision document" on
tourism development for seeking
central assistance.
"Himachal is endowed with immense natural beauty and bracing
climate has vast tourism potential
but so far only few areas have been
explored," she told the media after
inaugurating the 'Himachal Haat'
near Kandaghat, 26 km from here.
"Let the government submit a
vision document and the Centre
will consider funding of projects,"
she said adding the Union government was serious about development of tourism across the
country and would help state
governments.
On the introduction of the 'Haat'
(market) concept in Himachal
Pradesh, the minister said other
states should also follow it.
Neighboring states should collaborate for the development of
tourism, she said giving the ex-

Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja

Neighboring states
should collaborate for
the development of
tourism, she said giving
the example of the
development of Morni
Hills circuit by
Himachal Pradesh and
Haryana governments
ample of the development of Morni
Hills circuit by Himachal Pradesh
and Haryana governments.

Goa banks on Poles &
Russians for tourism
PANAJI: After losing tourists
from Western Europe, Goa is now
banking on travelers from Russia
and Poland to revive the sagging
tourism industry in the state.
Travel Tourism Association of
Goa (TTAG) has said the scene
was disappointing on the Western Europe tourist front, but the
loss is, to some extent, compensated by Russians' attraction towards the state.
Also, arrivals from Poland went
up, giving a fillip to the foreign
exchange earning sector reeling
under the impact of a global economic slowdown and the Mumbai
terror attacks.
"Around 2,000 Polish tourists
arrived in the state, which was a
new feature this season," Ernest
Dias, a TTAG official, told PTI.
The tourism industry was expecting a 25 to 30 per cent drop
in tourist arrivals from Englishspeaking countries. But arrival of
40,000-odd Russians made up for
the loss.
"Russians are better spending

tourists compared to English,"
TTAG President Ralf de Souza
said.
The tourism industry also felt
the impact of Iceland's volcanic
eruption which crippled flight services across Europe for several

Arrivals from Poland
went up, giving a fillip
to the foreign exchange earning sector
reeling under the
impact of a global
economic slowdown
and the Mumbai
terror attacks
days last month. A number of charter flights to Goa were cancelled in
the wake of the incident.
"We had to wrap up the season
a bit early after flights were cancelled due to volcanic ash," Bonnie
D'Souza, an office-bearer and exTTAG President said. -PTI

When asked about the expansion of Jubbar-Hatti airport near
Shimla, Seilja said development of
the airport in all states from the
point of view of tourism was on
the agenda of the government.
The Haat at Hotel Destination,
inaugurated by Selja, was opened
to the people about 10 days ago
and promoters provided stalls to
locals to exhibit their handicrafts
and sell culinary delights.
However, some of the exhibitors
claimed that the number of visitors
to the stalls was very low.
"We have put up the stall of
our product in the Haat for the last
one week but only two visitors
dropped in and there was no sale
at all," said a man working at a stall.
Arun Sharma, the Director of the
State Tourism department said, "The
tourism department has no role in
running of the Haat and is only confined to advertising the concept and
launch. Now, it depends upon the
management of the hotel how it
makes the idea a concept. -PTI

Kargil war fame
Batalik opens
to tourists
SRINAGAR: Batalik, which witnessed intense battle between Pakistani intruders and Indian army
during 1999 Kargil war, was
opened to tourists with a threeday tourists Mela (fair) taking off
in Dard Tribal area of Darchaks.
The fair aimed at attracting tourists to Batalik, 220 kms from here,
has been organized by the state
Tourism department.
Inaugurating the fair, Chief Executive of Ladakh Autonomous
Hill Development Council
(LAHDC), Kargil, Kachoo Ahmad
Ali said opening of Batalik, located at a height of about 2000 feet,
to tourists would provide employment opportunities to the youths.
Ghulam Hassan Khan, Lok
Sabha member from Ladakh, in
his address impressed upon the
local people to convert their
houses into guest houses to earn
from tourism.
He announced allotting Rs
2.50 lakh from his MPLAD fund
for preserving heritage spots of
the area.-PTI

Array of cultural events in
Delhi during Games
NEW DELHI: India's rich cultural diversity will be on display
during the 12-day long Commonwealth Games with both Organizing Committee and Delhi Government finalizing a series of events
across the city to offer a taste of
the country's music, dance and
folklore to the visitors.
Delhi Government has already
selected 15 venues in the city
where cultural festivals will be held
regularly during the course of the
event to be held here from October 3 to 14.
"This is a great opportunity for
us to showcase our cultural heritage to the entire world and we are
putting a lot of efforts to carefully
select the programs for the
events," said a senior official in the
Chief Minister's office.
He said regular cultural programs will be held in venues including the Games Village, Red
Fort, Mehrauli Fort, Purana Qila,
Kamani auditorium during the
Games -- the biggest sporting
event to be held in India.
All the cultural events in the

city during the Games will be organized by Delhi Government in
close coordination with Union
Culture Ministry and the Games
Organizing Committee.
The programs will feature folk
and classical dances, classical
music, fusion music, theatre and
films as well as other creative skills,
arts and crafts.
Not willing to divulge details of
the cultural programs, the official
only said a host of renowned
artistes and singers will perform in
the events.
"All the cultural programs are
being selected very very carefully
as we want the spectators keep the
memories of the events for a long
time," the official said.
He said to cater to taste of
young visitors, programs featuring fusion music and dance will
also be held.
Another official said Government has already roped in renowned theatre director Aamir
Raza Hussain to stage shows at
Red Fort and Quli Khan tomb at
Mehrauli. -PTI

34

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Kailash-Mansarovar: Famous pilgrimage center for four religions
Cont’d from page 32

The world-famous and holy
Mt. Kailash & Manas Lake have
been, the source of inspiration for
many religions and beliefs. Despite
many difficulties and long distances, people are keen to go there
at least once in their lifetime. Continued from centuries, this pilgrimage was stopped from 1959 to
1980. When it restarted in 1981 it
was welcomed everywhere. Hundreds of Indians thus got the op-

portunity to go through this region. Situated on the other side of
Himalayas of Uttarakhand, Kailash
and Mansarovar are the most pious and most beautiful shrines.
Also, from religious point of
view, these are highly regarded.
Darshan and 'parikrama' of Kailash
and Mansarovar is considered as
uncommonly pious by the believers of four religions Bonpa, Hindu,
Buddhist and Jain.
Bonpa, the ancient Tibetans,

see a nine story 'swastik' in it and
consider it an abode of Damchauk
and Dorge Phangmo. Hindus worship it as the abode of Shiva and

Mt. Kailash and
Mansarovar in Tibet are
always very near to the
hearts of Indians.
Due to Mansarovar,
Uttarakhand is also
termed as
Manas-Khand
Parvati. Buddhists believe it to be
the home of Buddha and
Manipadam and Jains worship it
as the place of "Nirwan of First
Tirthankar".

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Near Mansarovar there is a
beautiful lake called Rakash Tal or Ravehahalad. In the north of
these two lakes is Mt. Kailash and
its series (22028 ft./6675 mts.) in
the south Mount Gurala is situated. From this region four big rivers of north India originate'
Karnalies, Satluj, Brahamputra and
Sindh.
Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar in
Tibet are always very near to the
hearts of Indians. Due to
Mansarovar, Uttarakhand is also
termed as Manas-Khand.
In winter all mountains and
river lakes are frozen and covered
with snow, so the time of yatra is
from May to September. Indian pilgrims visit from June to Septem-

ber in 16 batches. (30-40 in every
batch). Foreign Ministry of Indian
Government advertises this pilgrimage. Selected people go
through medical tests and other
formalities before they do yatra in
batches. The management of this
yatra is done by Kumaon Mandal
Vikas Nigam Ltd. in Indian region
and Tibetan tourism agency in Tibet respectively.

Kailash
Mansarovar
yatra begins
PITHORAGARH, Uttarakhand:
The annual pilgrimage to Kailash
Mansarovar began with first batch
of 49 members reaching Almora after leaving New Delhi, official
sources said.
The batch, which includes eight
women pilgrims, was flagged off by
Surendra Singh Jeena, Chairman of
Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam
(KMVN), the nodal agency for
yatra arrangement in New Delhi,
said Ashok Joshi, General Manager
(Tourism) KMVN.

The motor road up to
Mangti, from where
70 km long trek for
5334-meter high LipuLekh pass starts, is
being cleared of mild
landslides that hit the
area recently, said an
official of ITBP, which
takes charge of yatra
after Gunji camp
The motor road up to Mangti,
from where 70 km long trek for 5334meter high Lipu-Lekh pass starts,
is being cleared of mild landslides
that hit the area recently, said an
official of ITBP, which takes charge
of yatra after Gunji camp.
He said the ITBP has not only
deputed a team of three doctors for
medical check up but also deployed 45 member disaster mitigation team at disaster-prone areas.
The 644-km long pilgrimage
passes through five camps that
include Gala (2018 mt), Bundi
(2740 mt), Gunji (3300 mt),
Kalapani (3370 mt) and
Nabhidhang (3370 mt) before
crossing Lipu-Lekh pass.
The yatra concludes in Tibet
where the pilgrims take holy dip
in the Mansarovar Lake and undertake parikrama of Mount
Kailash. -PTI



Briefs

Akshardham terror
case: HC upholds
death sentence

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat
High Court has upheld the death
sentence awarded to three convicts by a POTA court for the 2002
Akashardham terror attack by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists in which 32 people were
killed.
The division bench of Justices
R M Doshit and K M Thakar,
while pronouncing the verdict,
rejected the appeal of six convicts, including the three given
death sentence, against the
POTA court judgment.
The court observed that the six
accused were involved in the entire conspiracy to attack
Akshardham
temple
in
Gandhinagar on September 24,
2002, which was backed by
Lashkar-e-Toiba, public prosecutor J M Panchal said.
Reporters were not allowed inside the court during the pronouncement of judgment which
was delivered during in-camera
proceedings. -PTI


Art of Living
unhappy with
Chidambaram
BANGALORE: The Art of
Living Foundation has expressed "displeasure" over
what it described as "hasty and
damaging" statement of Union
Home Minister P Chidambaram
on Sunday's shooting incident
at its ashram here, over which
conflicting versions have
emerged.
"Without any basis, one cannot jump to conclusions that
there are conflicting groups or
there was a brawl. Such a statement from a person holding
such a responsible position was
unwarranted," the Foundation
said. -PTI



'President Patil's
visit fruitful and
successful'

BEIJING: China has termed the
just concluded visit of President
Pratibha Patil here as a "fruitful
and successful" one, saying it
would "definitely" help promote
development of bilateral ties between the two Asian giants.
"I believe it was a fruitful and
successful visit," Chinese Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu
said at a media briefing here when
asked about the Chinese assessment of President Patil's six-day
state visit, first by Indian head of
state in a decade. -PTI

India News
35

India Post

www.indiapost.com

June 11, 2010

Court rejects bail plea of
Abdul Samad Bhatkal
MUMBAI: A local court has rejected the bail plea of Abdul
Samad Bhatkal, a suspect in the Pune German Bakery blast,
saying that since the probe was on, it would not be safe to
release him.
23-year-old Samad sought bail soon after he was remanded in judicial custody till June 14 by Metropolitan
Magistrate M V Morale in connection with a 2009 arms seizure case. -PTI

Mamata cracks CPM citadel
in West Bengal
KOLKATA: Riding the winds
of political change, Mamata
Banerjee's Trinamool Congress
won the 141-ward city municipal
corporation polls, inflicting a
crushing blow to the ruling Left
Front in the civic elections,
dubbed as a semi-final before next
year's Assembly polls.
In Sunday's election to a total
of 81 civic bodies across 16 districts in West Bengal, TC also
tasted success in the districts
where it alone bagged 20 of 43
municipalities, the results for
which were available till noon.
The party bagged another
eight civic bodies where it had local-level seat adjustment with the
Congress.
The Left Front registered wins
in 12 municipalities while Congress lagged behind winning only
in three.
The Trinamool Congress,
which had already won two-thirds
majority in the 141-member KMC,
will not need the support of the
Congress to rule Kolkata where her
party has already captured 94 of
the 135 wards the results of which
were available.
The Left Front which was in
power in KMC with 75 wards has

FACE OF VICTORY: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee
gestures during a press conference in Kolkata, on June 2

Elated over Trinamool's success, Banerjee
demanded immediate Assembly elections,
saying Left Front major CPI (M) has lost all
rights to continue in power
managed to win in only 29 wards.
The Congress has so far got
nine and the BJP three seats.
In the 2005 KMC polls, Left
parties had won 75 seats, TC 42,
Congress 21 and BJP three.
Congratulating Banerjee on her
party's performance, Finance Min-

ister Pranab Mukherjee, who is
also the West Bengal Congress
chief, said he accepted the
people's verdict.
Mukherjee, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, said "First of all,
I would like to congratulate
Mamata Banerjee for her excellent

performance both in Kolkata and
also in the districts. I accept the
failure of the Congress to perform
up to the expectations which we
had. I accept the verdict of the
people with all humility,"
Mukherjee said.
Elated over Trinamool's success, Banerjee demanded immediate Assembly elections, saying
Left Front major CPI (M) has lost
all rights to continue in power.
Terming her party's success as
"historic", she told reporters after
arriving from Delhi, "It is a victory
of the ma-mati-manush (mother,
land and the people). They have
given a verdict in favor of political
change in the state. I salute the
people."
In an obvious reference to her
party's failed alliance with Congress for the KMC polls, Banerjee
said, "In this election, we had to
fight against the ruling party and
three to four other forces."
The Trinamool Congress has
not only dislodged the CPI(M)
from power in the KMC, in the adjoining Salt Lake (Bidhannagar)
municipality the erosion of the Left's
support base was more pronounced
with Banerjee's party bagging 16 of
the total 25 wards. - PTI

'Guide to Eternal Happiness and Peace' released
India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: The book, "My
questions and God's Answers"Guide to Eternal Happiness,
Peace, and Anandam, was released during the Maha Kumbh
in Rishikesh (India) by BJP
leader Lal Krishan Advani,
blessed by Swami Chidanand
Saraswati and several saints on
the holy banks of Ganga. Several thousand people witnessed
the divine occasion.
Many interpretations of
Srimad Bhagwad Gita have been
done till date. However the latest analysis, done by Mrs. Satya
Kalra is not just a philosophic
commentary of the Gita, but a
practical spiritual guide that provides a map of life and shows

the many ways available to reach
one's unlimited potential. It takes
you through a spiritual journey
and guides you step-by-step to
overcome the daily predicaments

and helps enhance the quality of
life. It evokes Everlasting, Happiness and Peace, Anandam feelings in the mind of readers. It answers all queries of all categories

of reader.
In the book, the teachings of
the Gita have been presented in
a question and answer format
with beautiful color graphics,
flow charts and tables. The presentation is so simple that contemporary, young and modern
readers can easily understand
and apply these teachings in
their daily life, rise above dayto-day challenges and enjoy their
life to the fullest.
The book is a culmination of
Satya Karla's personal quest for
Truth, and a means to spread the
message to fellow seekers. She is
a former CEO, spiritual seeker and
founder of Path to Anandam (nonprofit organization). She is the
author of series of Path to
Anandam pocket books.

FORT WAYNE, Ind.: A planned
lawsuit claims a new ordinance set
to go into effect in the county that
includes Fort Wayne unconstitutionally interferes with women's
rights to obtain abortions.
The lawsuit will ask a judge
to block the ordinance that takes
effect in Allen County, which
would regulate out-of-town providers of abortion and other
medical services.
The American Civil Liberties
Union of Indiana and the New
York-based Center for Reproductive Rights say they're suing the
Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health on behalf of Dr.
George Klopfer, who runs an abortion clinic in the northeastern Indiana city. -AP

Health Science
38

India Post

www.indiapost.com

June 11, 2010

Medical Center Foundation. "This
extremely generous gift will assist
in the creation of an all-inclusive
neuroscience center, the next enhancement to Somerset Medical
Center's commitment to the residents of our county."

Idaho health
district has spare
swine flu vaccine


Obama lawyers
argue for SF
health law
SAN FRANCISCO: The
Obama administration is taking
San Francisco's side in a legal dispute over the city's landmark
health care law.
Government lawyers filed arguments urging the Supreme Court
to reject an appeal by San Francisco restaurant owners who oppose paying part of the $200 million annual cost. They say the case
doesn't present any pressing issues that require the high court's
review.
The Healthy San Francisco
program, which passed in 2006, is
intended to offer care to uninsured
adults not covered by the MediCal program for the poor or Medicare for the elderly. -AP

OMAHA, Neb.: Officials at an
Omaha hospital say human error
led to the death of a toddler being treated at one of its health
centers. -AP

Indian Assn raises $15,000 for
Somerset Medical Center



TWIN FALLS, Idaho: The
South Central Public Health District has about 13,500 spare doses
of the swine flu vaccine.
Director Rene LeBlanc said
930 will expire by the end of June
and the rest will lose their potency in 2011.
LeBlanc said the district received about 29,000 doses and
vaccinated about 20 percent of the
south-central Idaho population
before residents felt the risk had
passed.
``The problem is the public feels
the need for it is over,'' LeBlanc told
The Times-News earlier. ``It's still
good to go out and get it.''
Swine flu, also know as H1N1,
raised fears of a global pandemic
when it emerged last year. -AP

Human error
led to child's
death

In addition to the long
term mission of fostering Indian cultural
activities for its members, IASC believes in
reaching out to positively impact the life of
all residents in the
community
Ken Bateman, president and CEO of SMC (3rd from right) and Paul Huegel (5th from right) accepting the check from
the members of Indian Association's management team (left to right): Chetan Sheth, Dr. Shivang Trivedi, Amit Rathod,
Subhash Shah, Ajay Parekh, Kiran (Perry) Kothari, Dr. Sharan Mahal, Utkarsh Desai, Ajay Shah, and Anjali Shah
India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: The Indian Association of Somerset County (IASC),
a not-for-profit community organization with over 300 member families,
sponsored and raised $15,000 at a

gala "Bollywood Music" fundraising
event for the benefit of Somerset
Medical Center (SMC) recently. Live
musicians entertained the guests
with popular Bollywood songs and
brought everyone to their feet including the SMC staff members.

"Somerset Medical Center is
extremely proud of our growing
partnership with the Indian Association of Somerset County and
our shared belief in making a difference in our community," said
Paul Huegel, President of Somerset

Utkarsh Desai, President of IASC
expressed his sincere gratitude to all
the donors and congratulated the
Trustees, the Executive Committee
Members and the hardworking volunteers for the success of the event.
In addition to the long term mission of fostering Indian cultural
activities for its members, IASC
believes in reaching out to positively impact the life of all residents
in the community.

Tech hurdler defeats cancer, foes
MONROE, La.: Diagnosed with
colon cancer - the third deadliest form
of cancer in the United States - following her freshman season at Louisiana Tech, Antoinette Cobb fought
the disease with the same zeal she
uses to compete on the track.
As a result, she not only became one of the best 100-meter
hurdlers in the world, Cobb is a
Tech honor graduate headed toward medical school. Not bad for
someone who never wanted to
compete at the collegiate level.
The news came after the 2006
outdoor season which saw Cobb, a
former West Feliciana High School
star, earn All-WAC honors when she
finished second in the hurdles.
She and several family members were stricken with what they
believed was food poisoning.
Their illness cleared up quickly Cobb's did not. She visited her

primary physician, who recommended she see Dr. Christopher
McCanless in Baton Rouge.
``I thought only old people got
that,'' Cobb said recently. ``I was
in shock. Over the summer I was
going to different (Internet) sites
trying to figure out what was
wrong. At least three times it came

waiting room during her threetimes-a-week treatments.
``I was the youngest person
there, so there was no one my age
to talk to. There were people there
going through chemo for the fifth
time. I was just grateful to make it
through my first round,'' Cobb
said. ``Mostly I isolated myself

She and several family members were
stricken with what they believed was food
poisoning. Their illness cleared up quickly
- Cobb's did not
back to cancer, but I didn't want to
believe that. Even after the diagnosis, I was still in shock.''
Fully 90 percent of colon cancer patients in the country are over
age 50, according to the Colon
Cancer Prevention Center. That's
why Cobb sat mostly alone in the

from friends and teammates at the
time. I felt they were pitying me,
and I didn't want pity. I'm a private
person. I wanted to be (at Tech)
but I couldn't be.''
It was something from above
that helped her through the ordeal.
``My faith. Once I prayed about

it, I wasn't worried about it anymore,'' Cobb said.
While the treatments initially
slowed her on the track, she has
recovered to become the 35thfastest 100-meter hurdler in the
world (14th in the country at
13.22), while owning four WAC
titles either indoors or outdoors.
The top time in the country this
year is 12.61 by Queen Harrison
of Virginia Tech. But Cobb was the
heavy favorite to win the 100-meter
hurdles in the WAC competition.
More importantly, Cobb graduated cum laude from Tech last
spring with a 3.68 grade point average in biology with a concentration in biological sciences and a
minor in chemistry. She's currently
pursuing a master's degree in biology and is applying to medical
schools around the country.
Cont’d on page 39

Health Science Post

June 11, 2010

India Post

39

www.indiapost.com

Enacting health overhaul Tech hurdler defeats
cancer, foes
a daunting task
CHARLESTON, W.Va.: It's a
late Thursday afternoon, and
Martha Walker has just finished
her umpteenth conference call addressing the sprawling federal
overhaul of the nation's health care
system.
As Walker explained to lawmakers a few days earlier, these
phone sessions have become a
recurring feature of her work
schedule: at least three a week with
other members of a National Governors Association task force, and
a separate batch for a multi-state
coalition of agencies expected to
carry out the changes. There are
four or five other conference calls
a week, and Internet-based
``webinars'' as well.
``Everybody is sort of feeling
their way along,'' Walker told The
Associated Press. ``The answer to
a lot of our questions is, 'We're not
sure about that yet. We'll track that
down and get back to you.' It's all
so new.''
Walker is acting director of the
Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning, or GOHELP. The Legislature
created the agency last year partly

to help the state implement any
health care changes that might
emerge from Congress.
``We're not necessarily the
subject matter experts on any of
these things. We're here to coordinate,'' Walker said.
But that alone appears to be a
daunting task. The health care leg-

Its numerous provisions will require U.S.
Health and Human
Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius to
issue more than 100
different sets of rules
islation clocked in at over 900
pages, Walker noted. Its numerous
provisions will require U.S. Health
and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius to issue more
than 100 different sets of rules.
Then there are the looming
deadlines: June 21 for setting up
the temporary high-risk pools
meant to cover those uninsured

because of pre-existing medical
conditions; July 1 for a state-specific Web site explaining the revamped health care choices to
consumers; Sept. 23 for initial insurance market changes.
``The law is extremely complex
with significant changes to existing programs and many new programs,'' Walker told members of
the House-Senate Select Committee on Health. ``As you might expect, these initiatives present opportunities and challenges for us
collectively.''
Those challenges include
costs. Insurance plans, for, instance, must begin extending coverage to policyholders' children
until they reach 26. For programs
such as the state's Public
Employee's Insurance Agency,
that's expected to increase annual
policy costs by $3,380 per dependent starting with the coverage
year that begins July 1, 2011.
West Virginia's hospitals, meanwhile, have told Walker that reimbursement rates from federal
health care programs will plummet
by a combined $1.2 billion over the
next decade. -AP

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 38

Tech assistant biology professor Jeff Yule was impressed with
Cobb after she was in his ecology
class as an undergraduate and
also in his research methods in
biological sciences class as a
graduate student.
``What's
great
about
Antoinette is that she's busy, she
works hard and she never complains about anything. Other students who really don't have much
on their plates will complain, but
she never does,'' Yule said. ``She
quietly hunkers down, does a real
good job. Always impresses you.
Always makes you feel glad to
have her in the class.''
Yule said the entire biology department feels the same way about
Cobb.
``You have one like her, you wish
you could have 10 more, a hundred
more, a million more. You wish all
your kids could be just like she is,''
he said. ``(The cancer is) the thing
that puts us over the top and makes
us just love this kid. She doesn't
say, 'Oh, woe is me. You should all
feel sorry for me.' She does good
work all the while.''

Cobb underwent the requisite
chemo treatments, losing 25 critical pounds and much of the
strength she had built from years
of track competition. Tech assistant coach Charles Ryan wasn't
sure how to handle Cobb when he
was hired the year she returned
from chemo.
``I just wanted to get through
the season without sending the
girl back to the hospital,'' Ryan
said. ``My first impression of her
was, 'darn, she must be a mentally
strong kid' to go through something like that and come back out
here and want to compete.''
It didn't take Ryan long to realize there were something special
about Cobb which had little to do
with her athletic ability.
``About halfway through the
season, I realized how determined
she was,'' Ryan said. ``And even
though she is nowhere near the most
talented kid on our roster, she just
wants things more than anyone else,
and she works harder than everybody. It's that commitment and that
willingness to do whatever she has
to do that's put her in the position
she's in right now.'' -AP

In Brief
500 rally at AT&T
Park over Ariz.
immigration law
SAN FRANCISCO: A crowd of
about 500 people gathered outside the home of the San Francisco
Giants and used a baseball game
between the Giants and Arizona
Diamondbacks to protest
Arizona's tough new crackdown
on illegal immigration.
Leaders of the rally, a group
calling itself the May Day 2010
Coalition, said the protest outside
AT&T Park was organized to call
for a boycott against Arizona.
The law, set to take effect July
29, requires that police conducting traffic stops or questioning
people about possible legal violations ask them about their immigration status if there is ``reasonable suspicion'' that they're in the
country illegally. -AP

NV group seeks
Ariz. boycott over
immigration law
RENO, Nev.: A Nevada group
is pressing the cities of Reno and
Las Vegas to support a boycott of
Arizona over its sweeping new
immigration law.
The Progressive Leadership
Alliance of Nevada wants the city
councils to reject any new contracts with Arizona-based companies to protest the law.
``I think our local government
should not use our tax dollars to
help support the economy of a
state that endorses racial profiling,'' said Bob Fulkerson, director
of the Reno-based group.
Reno City Councilman Dave
Aiazzi questioned whether the
request would have any practical effect. -AP

Backlog grows
at Las Vegas
immigration court
LAS VEGAS: A backlog at the
Las Vegas Immigration Court is
slowing deportations.
The backlog reached nearly 1,600
cases in March, up 38 percent from
the figure 18 months earlier and the
second highest rate in the nation.
In all, the Las Vegas Immigration Court dealt with nearly 4,400
immigration matters in 2009, up
from about 3,500 a year before.
Experts say the growing
caseload reflects enforcement
changes.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Las Vegas in late 2008
became one of more than 70 law
enforcement agencies nationwide
to forge a partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. -AP

Immigration

Ariz. Gov., AG
at odds on
defending
immigration law
Details on page 42

40

India Post

www.indiapost.com

June 11, 2010

Forum on immigrants rights &
struggle to exercise them
NISHA SUTARIA

CHICAGO: Indo-American
Center (IAC), a Chicago based no
profit body, hosted last week a
town hall meeting of the "One
Community United" campaign,
providing an open forum for community members to learn more
about immigration reform and human rights in the South Asian
community, while discussing the
challenges and possible solutions associated with these
pressing issues.
"One Community United" is a
campaign on immigrant and civil
rights coordinated by the National
Coalition of South Asian Organization (NCSAO) to promote community dialogue on human immigration law and civil rights protection (www.saalt.org).
The discussion was facilitated
by a presentation compiled by
South Asian Americans Leading
Together (SAALT), focusing on

the intersection of human rights
and immigration policy. The discussion examined the relevance
of immigration reform to the South
Asian community in particular.
"Indians have the sixth largest
undocumented population in the
United States. But when I talk to
people in our community about
that, everyone is shocked,"

crepancy between the rights immigrants are entitled to and the
rights that many immigrants have
struggled to exercise.
The topics of discussion revolved around underlying issues,
including the relationship between globalization and immigration. In addressing the disconnect
between outsourcing jobs to In-

‘Unfortunately, the window for
comprehensive immigration reform is
closing and it is closing fast. We need to
push our President to make this happen’
shared Vega Subramanian, program facilitator and Director of
Programs and Partnerships with
SAALT.
Additionally, video clips were
shared to fuel discussion about
individuals' first-hand experiences
and broader discussion of the issues in context, showing the dis-

dia and employment restrictions
of Indian immigrants in the United
States, one attendee asked: "Why
is it so easy to send jobs away,
but so hard for an immigrant to get
a job here?"
Jenn Kons, Program Associate
at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR),

explained the dire need for the
community to act now: "Unfortunately, the window for comprehensive immigration reform is closing
and it is closing fast. We need to
push our President to make this
happen. We need to bring on our
business owners, our religious
leaders, our whole community.
Make this an issue. Make it an
issue now."
This event was co-sponsored
by over half a dozen no profit social organizations and agencies in
Chicagoland. IAC that sponsored this forum is a not-for-profit
community service organization
serving the South Asian immigrant population.
The IAC mission is to promote
the well being of South Asian immigrants through services that facilitate their adjustment, integration and friendship with the wider
society, nurture their sense of
community, and foster appreciation for their heritage and culture.

Surrender of passport rule outrages overseas Indians
CYRUS D. MEHTA

T

he new rules requiring
overseas Indians to re
nounce Indian citizenship
and surrender the Indian passport after they have taken up the
citizenship of another country
misinterpret the provisions of the
Indian Citizenship Act, 1955. The
guidance, including Frequently
Asked Questions, can be found
on the website of the Indian Consulate in New York.
According to the guidance,
the Indian passport must be surrendered within 90 days of US
naturalization even if the US
passport is obtained later. A fee
of $175 has been imposed to surrender the Indian passport.
Additional monetary penalties
are imposed on those who failed
to surrender the passport within
three years of acquiring US citizenship or for travelling on the
Indian passport or applying for
its reissuance after US citizenship. The new rules are espe-

cially harsh on those who may
have obtained US citizenship
many decades ago and who may
have lost their Indian passports.
An applicant who has lost, damaged or surrendered his or her Indian passport to a foreign government must furnish certified copies
of the following documents:
1. Details of last held Indian

3. Notarized letter explaining
reasons for loss.
4. Police report.
Failure to comply with the surrender policy will likely deprive a
person of Indian origin to obtain
an Indian visa, an OCI/PIO card or
other consular services.
The provision for termination
of Indian citizenship is separate

It is unfair to penalize a person for failing
to surrender the passport when there was
no established procedure to do so prior
to the recent guidance
passport (Passport No., Date of
Issue & Place of issue). The onus
of providing details rest on the
applicant.
2. Official documents submitted
to authorities of new country at
the time of obtaining citizenship/
naturalization & documents used
for entry such as US Form I -130.

and distinct from the provision for
making a declaration of renunciation. While renunciation of citizenship is covered in Section 8 of the
Citizenship Act 1955 and has to
be applied on a prescribed form
by a citizen of India, automatic termination of citizenship, which occurs when one takes up the citi-

zenship of another country, is
covered under Section 9 and requires no formal application to
the Indian government.
It is clear that a person cannot
use the Indian passport to travel
when he or she becomes a US
citizen as Indian citizenship has
automatically terminated under
Section 9.
There may also probably be a
basis for establishing rules requiring surrender of the passport that
has been rendered invalid under
Section 9, although it is unfair to
penalize a person for failing to surrender the passport when there was
no established procedure to do so
prior to the recent guidance.
However, the Surrender Form,
i n d i a c g n y. o r g / U s e r F i l e s /
Renunciation%20Form(2).pdf,
requiring renunciation of Indian
citizenship, does not make sense.
One cannot renounce citizenship
when it has ceased to exist.
Cont’d on page 42

Immigration Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Ariz. Governor inundated with
immigration law letters
PHOENIX: In the weeks before
she signed Arizona's tough new
immigration law, Gov. Jan Brewer's
office was inundated with letters,
e-mails, faxes and phone calls, with
more than 90 percent urging her
to veto the legislation.
But since she signed the bill on
April 23, the tide has turned. Now,
more than 2/3 of the calls and letters she is receiving are from supporters.
``I am writing to congratulate
you on signing the law giving police officers the right to question
people about their immigration status if they suspect someone is in
the country illegally,'' wrote retiree
Ann Hardy of Seekonk, Ma., a
small town outside Providence, R.I.
``Good for Arizona! It's about
time that someone had the guts to
do something!''
Brewer's Office of Constituent
Services handles the governor's
mail and calls, and has tallied more
than 117,000 contacts since the law
began working its way through the
Legislature early this year. That's
the most of any issue in years,
staffers say.
The 63,100 contacts the office
tallied before Brewer acted contained only about 6,000 letters or
calls in support, said constituent services Director Lupe
Lerma. The totals may contain
some duplicates because some
people call or write more than
once, so Lerma could only provide the raw numbers.
An Associated Press reporter
reviewed several hundred of the
letters. The contacts included letters from groups like the National
Council of La Raza and Reform
Immigration for America that had

hundreds of online signatures.
Many were missives from business owners or citizens.
Many of the messages sent
before the law's signing echoed
the words written by Nina
Thurmes of Scottsdale.
``Please don't sign this terrible legislation into law,''
Thurmes wrote. ``I'm for convicting criminals (legal or illegal)
but this law will certainly target
the Hispanic population at a
higher rate. There are so many
other priorities than arresting
and deporting hard working

A survey done by
the Pew Research
Center shows 59
percent of
Americans approved of the law
and only 32 percent
disapproved
people. As a Latina, card carrying Republican, the party of Lincoln, this legislation imposes the
view of a few into the execution
of law enforcement.''
But with national attention focused on the state, the mix
changed once the governor
signed the bill.
Brewer's office has received
more than 54,000 letters, calls and
e-mails since she acted, and 67
percent support her action.
The sweeping legislation makes
it a crime under state law to be in
the country illegally. It would also
require local police officers to
question people about their immi-

gration status during other lawful
police contacts if there is reason
to suspect they are in illegally. The
law goes into effect on July 29
unless federal court challenges
filed by several groups are successful.
President Barack Obama has
said he believed the measure could
violate people's civil rights and he
has instructed the Justice Department to see if it is legal. A team of
top federal prosecutors met with
Arizona's attorney general and the
governor's staff, signaling the administration is prepared to go to
court to block the law.
They asked a series of questions, hoping to elicit information from state officials regarding the administration's concerns over the new law. The federal officials' trip to Phoenix also
was an effort to see if the two
sides can find common ground
in the debate, which has re-ignited immigration as a major political issue nationwide.
National polls have shown
strong support for the new Arizona law. A survey done by the
Pew Research Center shows 59
percent of Americans approved of
the law and only 32 percent disapproved. Other polls showed similar or greater support.
A spokeswoman for Brewer said
she was well aware of the support
her office is fielding and was not
surprised her action was drawing
support.
Many letters reaching the governor after she signed the bill into
law echoed those of Hardy, a retiree who lives in the home she
was born in 76 years ago and says
she votes independent. -AP

able with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to three
months, or with fine which may
extend to five hundred rupees, or
with both."
This rule, which the Indian government appears to be relying on,
is ambiguous and appears to apply more readily to one who holds
a valid Indian passport and is applying for another, rather than one
who ceases to have a valid Indian

It is important that the
Indian government
continues to maintain
goodwill with the
overseas Indian community. The new rules
merely antagonize the
community
passport by operation of Section
9 of the Citizenship Act and has
been issued a US passport.
In any event, the Indian consulates in the US never had a formal procedure for surrendering a
passport until the recent guidance.
Even when a person applied for
the OCI card and handed in the
Indian passport with the intention
to surrender the document, the

Indian Consulate merely cancelled
it. We are now told that such a cancellation will not be considered a
valid surrender of the Indian passport, and a person who in good faith
handed in the Indian passport earlier will have to pay additional penalties above the $175 basic fee for
surrender.
It is important that the Indian
government continues to maintain
goodwill with the overseas Indian
community. The new rules merely
antagonize the community and
there is absolutely no need for this.
There surely is a better way to
implement a surrender policy of
invalid Indian passports on a prospective basis, without also requiring renunciation, rather than
the clumsy and arbitrary way it has
been handled so far. The Global
Organization of People of Indian
Origin has launched a campaign
requesting the government to reconsider the retroactive enforcement of the new rule.
(The author thanks Ramya
Mahesh, associate at Little & Co.,
Advocates and Solicitors,
Mumbai, India, for her invaluable
assistance with this article)
* Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted
at 212-425-0555 or
info@cyrusmehta.com

Ariz. Gov., AG at odds on defending
immigration law

105% REFINANCING
(AVAILABLE IN SOME CASES)

Call: NEERAJ

Under Section 9, Indian citizenship was automatically terminated
when the person took up the citizenship of another country. On the
other hand, Section 8 provides for
a citizen of India to renounce Indian citizenship, and it should be
noted that the words "who is also a
citizen or national of another country" were deleted from Section 8 by
Act 6 of 2004. Thus, a person who
is no longer a citizen of India cannot renounce Indian citizenship.
Rule 13 of the Passport Rules,
1980 states that "[a] person holding a passport or travel document
shall not be entitled to another
passport or travel document unless he surrenders to the passport
authority the passport or travel
document already held by him."
Rule 13 further states, "Provided that separate passports or
travel documents may be issued
to the same person in respect of
different countries if it is necessary
so to do for facilitating his visits
to such countries." Section 12 (3)
of the Passport Act, 1967 states
that "[w]hoever contravenes any
condition of a passport or travel
document or any provision of this
Act or any rule made thereunder
for which no punishment is provided elsewhere shall be punish-

PHOENIX: Top state officials
are at odds over whose lawyers
will represent the state to defend
its new law targeting illegal immigration, with Democratic Attorney
General Terry Goddard contending
Republican Gov. Jan Brewer can't
kick him off the case.
Brewer announced that she was
invoking a provision in the law to
have private attorneys represent
the state. They already are representing her in some of the legal
challenges to the law that name her
as a defendant.
Goddard's top aide said, how-

ever, that Brewer cannot invoke the
provision because it doesn't take
effect until July 29. And she may
not be able to keep Goddard from
representing the state anyway,
Chief Deputy Attorney General
Tim Nelson said.
``We have real concerns about
the constitutionality of that,'' Nelson
said. ``It's an open question.''
Goddard has criticized the
sweeping law but said he would
vigorously defend it from the pending challenges. He also said he
urged Justice Department officials
during meeting to not file their own

legal challenge to the law.
Brewer said she decided to
have her own lawyers represent
the state partly because Goddard
previously criticized the law. She
also cited his ``curious coordination'' with Justice Department officials concerning the law.
``The Legislature gave me this
authority because of its lack of
confidence in the attorney
general's willingness to vigorously
defend this legislation that is so
critical to protecting the safety and
welfare of Arizona's citizens,''
Brewer said in her statement. -AP

Â&#x201E;

Realty Tidbits

Aamby Valley to
go green with
Japanese help

Real Estate

J

apanese government in coor
dination with the Sahara group
is working towards making the
Aamby Valley City an environment
and energy efficient model for the
world. Japanese Prime Minister
Yikio Hatoyama recently met Sahara Group Chairman Subrata Roy
to discuss the proposal.
Aamby Valley City has been
chosen as one of the two cities in
the world by the Japanese government to be developed as a
model eco friendly city for the
world. It also falls within the region earmarked for the Delhi
Mumbai Industrial Corridor
Project (DMIC), the State-sponsored Industrial Development
Project of the Government of India in which the Japanese government is a major investor.

Â&#x201E;

Maharashtra
plans milk
dairy SEZ
Maharashtra state dairy development department is thinking of
setting up a dairy SEZ at Dapcheri
in Thane.
Nitin Raut, Dairy Development
Minister said, "The department
has a huge plot of 6,000 acres in
Dapcheri, about 150 kilometres
from Mumbai. The plot also has a
dam. We can start an SEZ here and
also use the land for making fodder. The units can supply milk to
Mumbai and also make milk products like butter cheese, skimmed
milk powder for exports and domestic consumption."
The land has been earmarked for
shifting of tabela (cowsheds) in
Mumbai, but has been shelved due
to opposition from the owners.

43 India Post

B

etter days are come back again
for the hospitality industry.
The March quarter results of India's
largest hotel companies have been
a mixed show, analysts believe a
strong pick-up in demand and the
expected rise in occupancies should
improve future numbers.
While the sector was struggling since the second half of 200809 due to negative travel advisories and security concerns, there
has been a significant increase in
foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs)
since December 2009. Given the
recent increase in arrivals, FTAs
will increase from 5.1 million in calendar year 2009 (CY09) to about
5.8 million and 6.6 million in CY11
and CY12 respectively.

June 11, 2010

S

pecial economic zones (SEZ) are again finding place
in strategy plans of corporate conglomerates. Six
new proposals for setting up SEZs would be coming up
in the meeting of the Board of Approval (BoA) on June 8.
As many as 12 SEZ projects were surrendered between December 2008 and March 2009. But, no SEZ was
surrendered since then.
Companies are gradually realizing the potential of investing in such long-term projects. Besides, SEZ will be
the only scheme to offer tax rebates to exporters beyond
March 31, 2011.

Regulator needed to curb wrong
practices in real estate
MUMBAI: An interactive discussion on Real Estate titled 'Real Estate: Trends, Issues & Consequences' was organized here by
Money life Foundation. The session
was jointly conducted by industry
experts like Pranay Vakil, Chairman
of Knight Frank (India) Pvt Ltd and
Pankaj Kapoor, MD, Liases Foras.
Mr. Pranay Vakil said on the
occasion, "One of the major reasons why the prices are high today is infrastructure. Nobody
wants to travel long distances for
work. Title insurance is another
major issue in this industry."
He added on being quizzed about
the short recession, "Liquidity is
vital. Developers realized this when
sales volumes declined drastically
due to the liquidity crunch.
The slowdown gave customers
ample choice as affordable housing came into the industry in a big
way. Investors are 'fair-weather
friends', Sell 'ready' products during a slowdown; contracts can be
broken; healthy growth can be
sustained by a gradual increase in
prices; high-value transactions
hyped by the media are not the
'real' market and the need is to in-

novate sales strategy."
Mr. Kapoor said, "Are we heading towards another asset bubble?
Are the prices affordable? What is
wrong with the valuation and where
is affordable housing? The government is responsible for hiking prices.

R

ome has announced a master plan to transform the
city into a green, low-carbon, post-petroleum capital in an
attempt to bolster Rome's 2020
Olympic bid.
The City Mayor Gianni
Alemanno presented the proposal
alongside U.S. economist Jeremy
Rifkin, who has been advising the
EU on a long-term economic
sustainability plan to address the
global economic crisis, energy security and climate change.
Rome will invest around
euro500-million ($615-million) over
the next 20 years in new industries
and businesses, creating what city
officials claim will result in thousands of new jobs and making the
capital independent energetically.
It envisages three main areas
of transformation: turning the congested historic center into a

ker who does not know anything.
Secondly, infrastructure- the government cannot be a provider, it
can be a facilitator. Thirdly, all
these need funds, so get foreign
parties excited about India."
Mr. Kapoor said, "We need to

On which Mr. Vakil said "Three most important things
we need in real-estate as a priority are-rental
housing. Secondly, infrastructure- the government
cannot be a provid er, it can be a facilitator
We need a regulator for this industry
to grow and curb wrong practices."
The workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation from several investors, research analysts
and industry experts in form of
healthy exchange of ideas between them.
Ms Kavita Hurry, CEO, ING
Vysya Mutual Fund asked the
speakers to highlight three major
issues in the sector.
On which Mr. Vakil said "Three
most important things we need in
real-estate as a priority are-rental
housing, all over the world there
is organized rental housing. Here
you are left at the mercy of the bro-

Rome to become
green capital

Â&#x201E;
Sun shining
again on hotel
industry

www.indiapost.com

SEZs regain their lost glamour

greener, pedestrian friendly space;
developing the commercial/industrial "ring" around the capital; and
improving the agricultural areas
outside the city to reduce its carbon imprint.

Rome will invest
around euro500million ($615-million)
over the next 20
years in new industries and businesses
Rome is one of several Italian
cities that have expressed an interest in bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympics, including Venice,
Palermo and Bari.
The International Olympic
Committee will select the host in
2013.

address the congestion issue in
the island city. If we move five
buildings from the island city to
Bandra, there will be a whole shift
in the crowd. If we can shift

Mantralaya, BSE or the IncomeTax office, there will be a difference. There are three-four magnets
which draw the crowd there. Everyone knows about it but there is
no intension to do that because
they are sitting in luxurious places.
We need to add more connectivity. We need a complete master
plan for Mumbai to reduce the
congestion. We need a regulator,
and urban planning."
Other industry experts also
voiced their opinion.
The audience reached to a consensus which was that there is an
immediate need for a citizen action
forum to make higher authorities
listen. -PTI

Ambani brothers settle
real estate disputes

T

he Ambani brothers have
completed their family real
estate settlement, according to CNBC-TV18. This comes
close to the heels of their May 23
announcement where they said
that they were patching up their
differences, ending a non-compete agreement, and moving towards reconciliation. Mukesh
and Anil Ambani were not on
speaking terms after the Reliance business empire, which
they inherited from their father
Dhirubhai Ambani, was slip in
2005.
CNBC-TV18 learns that both
brothers have sorted out their family real estate assets. The settlement of realty assets was part of

the 2005 family memorandum of
understanding.
The 2005 family real estate pact
was not fully implemented as each
side was to vacate or transfer certain properties.
The undivided family holds
significant realty properties,
which are spread across the
country. The properties include
apartments in Mumbai and Navi
Mumbai, and offices in Bandra,
Kurla and New Delhi.
The north India headquarters
of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group (ADAG) is likely to move
to Delhi's Hotel Ranjit by AugustSeptember, sources said. Hotel
Ranjit was sold by ITDC to a private consortium in 2002.

Tech News
Congress
approves sale
of C17 to India
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI:
The US Congress has cleared the
sale of C-17 Globemaster III strategic aircraft for India, ahead of the
crucial Cabinet-level Strategic Dialogue between the two countries.
The Obama Administration had
in April notified the US Congress
of the potential sale of 10 C-17 aircraft to India and sought approval
in this regard.
"We are pleased that India's
intent to buy 10 C-17 Globemaster
III has received U.S. congressional approval," Dr Vivek Lall,
Vice President and Country Head,
Boeing Defense, Space and Security, India, told PTI in New Delhi.
With this, the Indian government is one step closer to acquiring the C-17 which we believe is
ideally suited to meet India's airlift
needs for military and humanitarian purposes, he said. -PTI

India's exports rose
by over 36 per
cent in April
NEW DELHI: India's exports
increased by 36.2 per cent to USD
16.88 billion in April, the sixth consecutive month of growth.
Last April, exports had shrunk
nearly 30 per cent to USD 12.4 billion under the impact of the worst
recession in 60 years that driedup demand in key markets such as
the US.
However, going forward the
European debt crisis may weigh
on outbound shipments, even
though India's trade exposure to
Greece is limited, rating agency
Crisil Principal Economist D K
Joshi said. -PTI

Zee launches
health channel
in US

Z

ee network has expanded the
ambit of its umbrella to American media space by launching
Veria TV channel in US. The channel will serve the health and fitness related entertainment requirement of people in the region. Veria
TV, a 24X7 channel has been
launched by Group Chairman
Subhash Chandra.
With this launch, Essel Group
which already owns media titles
among all channels of Zee Network, Daily News has added another media entity to its stable.
The channel will air programs
based on well being, health and
fitness in high definition format.
Veria will work on the concept of
wellness rather than illness.

TechBiz
44

India Post

www.indiapost.com

June 11, 2010

Indian economy upbeat, grows
by 7.4 pc in 2009-10
NEW DELHI: India's economy grew by a better than estimated 7.4
per cent in 2009-10 on the back of double digit expansion in manufacturing sector and not so dismal showing by farm sector.
In fact, the economy grew by a robust 8.6 per cent in the fourth
quarter, fuelled by 16.3 per cent expansion in manufacturing sector.
China, the only large country with higher growth rate than India,
witnessed 11.9 per cent growth in the same quarter, while the fragile
recovery in most countries, particularly Europe, is under threat from a
sovereign debt crisis. -PTI

Nano grabs global attention on
launch of Sanand plant
SANAND (GUJARAT): The roll
out of "people's car" Nano from
the Sanand plant today attracted
global attention, with delegates
from Italy and the US travelling to
the country to assess the future
of this small car.
Nano, the world's cheapest car,
has attracted the attention of
Cornell University in the US,
which plans to hold an exhibition
of this small car project in the US.
"We are here to look at what
shall be the future of this car. And
maybe sometime later, we can
organise an exhibition of this car
project in the US," visiting Assistant Professor Aleksandr Mergold
of Cornell University told PTI.
"We came here with our team
to find out what's going on here,"
Mergold said.
Mergold, along with his team
members, interacted with officials
of Tata Motors at the assembly line
of the plant and jotted down details of the car manufacturing process and clicked photographs of
the unit.

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
pose besides a Nano car during a rollout ceremony at the new
Nano plant at Sanand, on June 2

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nano's European version has been launched
and work for its production is likely to commence next year, I don't know when,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said
Among the special invitees at
the inauguration ceremony,
Mergold was here with a team of
four people from the university to
assess the future of this car.
Taking the Nano a step forward
from being a people's car in India,

Tata Motors had unveiled the European version of the car in
Geneva in March, 2009. .
Another special invitee from
Italy, Trilix Design Director Justyn
Norek said "I am here as part of
my association with Tata Motors."

"We are cooperating with Tata
Motors regarding engineering of
the car, we are closely linked with
the styling of this Indian car,"
Norek told PTI.
Norex has formed a design and
engineering solution providing
company in Italy, which is working in close coordination with Tata
Motors for its Nano car project.
"We have had a long association
with Tata and therefore, we are
here to see how it's being manufactured," Norek said.
"Nano's European version has
been launched and work for its production is likely to commence next
year, I don't know when," he said.
Spread over an area of about
1,100 acres, the new facility at
Sanand has been created at a cost
of approximately Rs 2,000 crore.
Till now, production of the
Nano -- touted as the world's
cheapest car with a factory gate
price of Rs 1,00,000 (a little over
USD 2,000) -- has been limited at
Tata Motors' Pantnagar plant in
Himachal Pradesh. -PTI

'I just spent Re one to bring Nano to Gujarat': Modi
SANAND, Gujarat: Re one is all
that Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi invested and in
return he earned a mind-boggling
Rs 2,000 crore investment for his
state, a political coup against the
Left parties and Tatas' gratitude.
Reciprocating the sentiment,
Tata Group supremo Ratan Tata
said: "We belong to Gujarat. We
had gone out and now we have
come back here."
Summing up Nano's journey from
West Bengal in the east to Gujarat on
the west coast, Modi said: "When
Ratan Tata said in a press conference
in Kolkata that they are leaving West
Bengal, I sent him a short SMS saying welcome to Gujarat.
"And now you can see what a
Re one (worth) SMS can do."
However, what remains unsaid
at this juncture was a host of concessions, financial incentives,
huge piece of land and above all,
an insurance against any political
resistance. No wonder, the state

India from Iran and found refuge
in what is modern Gujarat.
The new plant was inaugurated
by Modi and Tata. The event was
wound up mid-way due to a
strong dust storm.
"We decided that we would locate it in a part of the country, which

Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi

of the art production facility was
erected from scratch in less than
two years, against months long
agony Tatas faced in Singur, West
Bengal, ruled by Left parties.
Tata Motors was forced to quit
Singur where it planned to set up
the mother plant for its people's
car Nano, following fierce opposition to land acquisition from locals led by Trinamool Congress
leader Mamata Banerjee.
Tata said his ancestors came to

The Sanand facility,
built at a cost of Rs
2,000 crore, has a
manufacturing capacity of 2.5 lakh
units annually, scalable up to five lakh
units per annum
we felt could benefit from this (Nano
project). Unfortunately that was not
to happen and we had to move the
plant under duress," Tata said referring to its unceremonious exit from
West Bengal in October 2008.

"We searched for another
home for Nano and we wanted to
be sure that we could move in
peace and harmony, and be able
to establish new home for the
plant... Modi stood out among all
the others in guaranteeing us
whatever we needed. It was not
just our project, we felt that it was
of Gujarat government and
Tatas'... We owe you a debt of
gratitude." he added.
The Sanand facility, built at a
cost of Rs 2,000 crore, has a manufacturing capacity of 2.5 lakh
units annually, scalable up to five
lakh units per annum. Pilot commercial production of Nano at
Sanand has already begun.
"When I came here first on an
industry visit, invited by Gujarat
Chief Minister, I was told that if it
(the Nano plant) is not in Gujarat,
I will be a stupid.
"I am no longer stupid after investing on the plant in Gujarat," Tata
said, inaugurating the plant. -PTI

June 11, 2010

TechBiz Post

India Post

45

www.indiapost.com

Mittal commends Indian
economy
BANGALORE: Steel giant ArcelorMittal's
chairman and CEO Lakshmi N Mittal has commended the Indian economy for achieving
7.4 per cent growth rate in 2009-10 fiscal amid
the global economic slowdown.
Speaking at the Global Investors' Meet,
organized by the Karnataka government,
he said as he travels around the world, visiting the company's operations in about 60
countries, he is seeing signs of improvement everywhere.
"However, it is clear that economic recovery is not happening at the universal
pace," Mittal said. "Two distinct trends are
emerging. That of developed countries,
which are traveling in the slow lane, while
the developing countries are on the speedy
lane. This for me is the most interesting economic trend to be reinforced by the crisis."
The rise of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India,
China) countries, rapidly industrializing
countries and other developing economies
are reshaping the global economy. "The
high growth rate in these economies has

been one of the most transformational
change in the past two years."
He said strong domestic demand has
proved to be far more reliable input for
growth in developing economies and "we
have countries which have successfully
maintained growth rate.
India is a great example of this".
India's economy grew by a better than estimated 7.4 per cent in 2009-10 on the back of
double digit expansion in manufacturing sector and not so dismal showing by farm sector.
In fact, the economy grew by a robust
8.6 per cent in the fourth quarter, fuelled by
16.3 per cent expansion in manufacturing
sector.
China, the only large country with higher
growth rate than India, witnessed 11.9 per
cent growth in the same quarter, while the
fragile recovery in most countries, particularly Europe, is under threat from a sovereign debt crisis.
Mittal said he sees tremendous potential
of developing economies that include India.

Govt. treasure flooded with 3G revenue;
telcos make full payment

I

indiapost.com

ncluding BSNL and MTNL of public sec
tor, total 9 telecom companies have made
full payment for their recently won 3G spectrum licenses to the government. The total
amount submitted to the treasury of government by these companies is Rs.67719 crores.
Bharti Airtel has paid maximum amount
of Rs.12295.46 crores for 13 circles across
the country whereas, Vodafone deposited
Rs.11617.86 crores. However, MTNL has
submitted an amount of Rs.6564 crores.
On the other hand, Public sector telecom
company BSNL has paid Rs.10186.56 crores
to the government. Reliance Communications, the telecom entity of Anil Dhirubhai
Ambani Group (ADAG) has paid Rs.8585.04
crores. RCOM has been allotted license to
regulate 3G services in 13 circles through-

out the country including of Delhi and
Mumbai service areas.
The government had estimated to gather
Rs.35000 crores from the auctions of 3G spectrums and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA).
But, due to an overwhelming response from
Telcos, the government has managed to earn
nearly double of the estimated amount.
With the large revenue, government
holds hope of bringing down the fiscal deficit of current financial year from 5.5% to
5%. After the BWA auctions, statistics are
expected to improve even more.
According to the schedule, all the winning companies will have acquisitions of
3G spectrum by the month of spectrum.
Defense forces will release the spectrum for
telecom companies.

Indian bureaucracy most
inefficient in Asia: Survey
SINGAPORE: India has the most inefficient bureaucracy in Asia and red-tape is
much worse than in China, says a survey.
In the ranking of 12 countries, India has
been named as having the most inefficient
bureaucracy followed by Indonesia and the
Philippines, according to the survey of expatriate business executives conducted by
the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).
Quoting the consultancy, news agency
AFP has reported that bureaucratic red-tape
is a serious problem in India and China but
"the differences in the political systems of
these two countries have made inertia much
worse in India than in China".
The ranking is based on a scale from one
to 10 and a score of 10 indicates the worst
possible scenario.
India scored 9.41, followed by Indonesia
(8.59), the Philippines (8.37), Vietnam (8.13)
and China (7.93).
As per the survey, Singapore and Hong
Kong with scores of 2.53 and 3.49, respectively, have the most efficient bureaucracies.
Other countries ranked are Malaysia
(6.97), Taiwan (6.6), Japan (6.57), South Korea (6.13) and Thailand (5.53).
As many as 1,373 middle and senior ex-

patriate executives participated in the survey conducted earlier this year.
Writing about India, PERC said, "politicians frequently promise to reform and revitalize the Indian bureaucracy, but they
have been ineffective in doing so--mainly
because the civil service is a power centre
in its own right".

The ranking is based on a
scale from one to 10 and a
score of 10 indicates the worst
possible scenario. India
scored 9.41, followed by
Indonesia (8.59), the Philippines (8.37), Vietnam (8.13)
and China (7.93)
The consultancy noted that dealing with
India's bureaucracy "can be one of the most
frustrating experiences for any Indian, let
alone a foreign investor".
PERC noted that bureaucracies in some
Asian countries have become power centers in their own right, allowing them to effectively resist efforts toward reforms by
politicians and appointed officials. -PTI

46

Classifieds

India Post

June 11, 2010

www.indiapost.com

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lot of people are interested in spirituality and
yet in very few are there
a radical transformation of their
consciousness and of their life.
Vimala Thakar: My dear
friend, they do not dedicate their
lives to the truth they understand.
They have desire for worldly pleasure, worldly recognition. Spirituality is one of the desires. It is not
the supreme priority. Immediately
start living the truth you understand! Intellectually people may
aspire for emancipation or enlightenment but emotionally they love
small bondages around them.
They want to belong somewhere
emotionally to the family, to their religion. In the name of security they
create these emotional loyalties and
a sense of exclusive belonging, while
intellectually they aspire for absolute freedom, enlightenment. How
can the two go together?
They are incompatible, and yet
human beings who become
sadhakas, inquirers, live a double life.
They are not dishonest. I'm talking
about an inner division. They feel
satisfied by knowing about liberation, reading about it, imagining it.
The word 'liberation' has its
own intoxication. And they live by
that intoxication. But there is no
factual content. So this inner division causes the pathetic phenomenon that in the evening of their
SWAMI CHIDANANDA

T

here are a few things
which, as a Hindu, I wish
to tell you. Where elders
are respectfully honoured, there
prosperity prevails; and where elders - father and mother, grandfather and grandmother, uncles
and aunts - are treated with contempt, with harshness, with scant
respect, there is no prosperity.
These things are not known. So
when people are miserable, when
people are unhappy, when people
lack prosperity, it is not known why
it comes about that way. It is
brought about by oneself by a total breaking of these laws.
And then you try find out the
consequences of the bad situation by looking at the diary, or
statistics, or expenditure and income account. Perhaps you blame
economic conditions. But, no you create your bad conditions
by breaking the spiritual laws.
Where elders are treated with
respect and honor, are treated
with reverence, there, in that family, in that house, prosperity will
abide. In the life of that person
who honors his elders, prosperity will always rest.
Secondly, where the women
of the house are treated with rev-

lives, their hands are empty. They
only have the shells of words with
them, not the inner substance of
liberation.
What can a person do if they
recognize this divided condition
in themselves?
VT: One has to educate oneself.
First one discovers the division inside. Then, to eliminate the division,

dissolved by the understanding of
truth, that understanding is only
verbal. If you have had that, how
can there be attachment? Even after having understood the truth
some people may cling to untruth
for the sake of pleasure or security.
People are afraid of living, they
are afraid of dying. The intellectual
aspiration for truth is there, but this

on the earnestness.
Various spiritual teachings
seem to view the final goal of
spiritual life as abiding in the Absolute and are then not at all concerned with the world of time and
space, with relating to people.
VT: Even after the discovery you
are still there in your body, aren't
you? You have to feed it, you have

A dance between manifest
and the unmanifest

Vimala Thakar

People are afraid of living, they are
afraid of dying. The intellectual
aspiration for truth is there, but this fear
of life and death is also there

purification through education has
to take place, because impurity is
the only imbalance.
Educate and sensitize and refine
and purify the biological and the
psychological aspects of our being
then I think the inner division disappears. Seekers should devote a
minimum of three, and preferably
four, hours each day to their spiritual practice.
Often people can have an understanding of the truth and still
remain strongly attached to certain things.
VT: If attachment cannot be

fear of life and death is also there.
That's why the dropping of the attachments does not result.
If that is the case then at least such
a person should be conscious that
there is a duality in him, that understanding of truth is there on one level
and that attachment is also there.
If there is a genuine desire that
the attachment should be dissolved, it will work as a prick. It
will keep him awake. Attachment
will be there, he will act out of attachment, and then he will feel
sorry for it. For some time this goes
on. It will be gradual. It depends

to clothe it, and you have to live in
the world. So after the discovery, the
understanding, then there is the
awareness. With that awareness you
behave in the limited world.
Some people talk about escaping from it, withdrawing, but even
after withdrawal you need a place
to live. After the discovery of the
truth with that inner perfume of the
constant awareness that life is a
dance between the manifest and
the unmanifest, the limited and the
limitless, that which is measurable
and that which is immeasurable,
then you relate to both.

erence, where they are put upon
the pedestal which they deserve,
there is prosperity. Where are we
all, where is humanity if it is not
for the women?
It is the Supreme Mother who
is the very source of the whole
universe, and where the mothers,
the women, are treated with reverence that is due to them, in that
house, there is prosperity. And
where women are treated with dis-

modesty is the highest ornament.
The ornament of a woman, the
beauty of a lady, is not in the
jewellery she wears or in the type
of material or the dress she wears
- no, that is not beauty. After all,
what is the beauty of the body?
The moment you take leave of
the body, it is just a useless thing
here. So the true beauty and grace
of a woman is modesty. If a woman
is modest, if she is chaste, she be-

worshipped regularly.
Say thanks when you get up
in the morning, for your health,
for your body, for a clean mind,
for energy in the body to live a
life of usefulness to yourself and
to all, and in the evening thank
God again for the bounty of a
good day, for clear weather, fresh
air, good health and energy, opportunity to serve and be useful
to yourself and to others.

Some valuable clues to
prosperity in house

Swami Chidananda

respect, unkindness, harshness,
prosperity cannot come.
Prosperity does not abide in
that house where the wife and the
mother are made to weep, where
tears of women fall. Prosperity takes
wings and flies away from that
house where woman weeps.
Thirdly, for the womenfolk
themselves, modesty is the magnet of prosperity. For a woman,

Where elders are treated with respect and
honor, are treated with reverence, there, in
that family, in that house, prosperity will
abide. In the life of that person who honors his
elders, prosperity will always rest
comes worshipful; and prosperity
becomes the servant, the handmaid
of that family where women are
adorned by the ornaments of chastity, modesty and gracefulness.
And, last but not the least, where
God is worshipped every day, there
the whole house becomes blessed
with the highest prosperity. All joy,
all blessedness, all prosperity
comes to that house where God is

If every day there is thanksgiving and you always worship God
in your home, there is bound to be
prosperity. Where there is worship,
in that place, there is the tangible
presence of God, and where there
is this tangible presence of the
Deity, what to say of prosperity?
Everything that is good, everything that is blessed, will pervade
that house, will fill that house.

Can I see another's woe,
and not be in sorrow
too? Can I see another's
grief, and not seek for
kind relief?
-William Blake
A mind at peace, a mind
centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than
any physical force in the
universe.
-Wayne Dyer
In modern business it is
not the crook who is to
be feared most, it is the
honest man who doesn't
know what he is doing.
-William Wordsworth
We look before and after,
And pine for what is not;
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is
fraught; Our sweetest
songs are those that tell
of saddest thought.
-Percy Bysshe
Shelley
Ah, but a man's reach
should exceed his grasp.
Or what's a heaven for?
-Robert Browning
All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal
point of addiction is
damnation.
-W. H. Auden
He who reigns within
himself and rules passions, desires, and fears
is more than a king.
-John Milton

• Gurukul Classes for Children
Venue: Sindhu Center, South California
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Contact: 818-541-1754 & 909-576-1114
Highlights: Children between the ages of 5 and
18. Children will be taught the Fundamentals of
Hinduism, Prayers, Shlokas, Bhajans and Values
of our culture.

he recent spate of Maoist Maoist strategy of protracted
attacks - the killing of 76 se- people's war needs to be highlighted.
curity personnel (6 April) Traditionally, 'annihilation of class
and over 35 civilians including enemies' has been the dominant tacSpecial Police Officers (SPO) (17 tic of the Maoist armed struggle.
May) in Dantewada district,
Earlier, these included landChhattisgarh - has considerably lords and corrupt government
intensified the specter of Maoist functionaries who were specifiviolence in India. The latest cally targeted; today, however, the
Gyaneshwari train tragedy on 28 enemy is no longer individuals but
May in Maoist-affected West an entire force constituted largely
Midnapore district of West Ben- of the very tribals and villagers
gal is yet to be investigated.
that are also the largest support
The meticulous planning and brutality of the
killings, seen as a sign of
the success of Maoists,
sparked debates over
use of air power/force
and further intensification of security operations being conducted
by the state.
At the same time,
these killings also considerably dent the moral
support amassed by the
Maoists among the civil
Maoists blew this passenger bus to pieces
society at large, questioning the inexcusable killing of base of the Maoists.
local villagers and tribals.
To this extent, therefore, the
How does one understand this above suggests that the spate of
violence against civilians in con- violence unleashed in parts of centext of the broader goals of the tral India is as much due to the
Maoists as also its impact on the very objective and strategy of the
course of the people's war - do revolution rather than simply a rethese reflect intensification or
weakening of the people's war beA heightened sense of
ing waged by the Maoists?
To begin with, the above at- helplessness is paltacks need to be understood as a pable among the
result of the 'militarized' climate
masses as they are
now prevailing in the south of
Chhattisgarh since the launch of increasingly getting
state-backed Salwa Judum in June caught in the crossfire
2005 where violence and counter- between the Maoists
violence is the order of the day,
and must not acquire a quality of and the government
'coming out of nowhere'.
without any improveThe Maoists and their sympa- ment in their living
thizers claim that such attacks are
an "unfortunate fall out of the conditions
government's willful policy of pursuing Salwa Judum first and then sponse to Operation Green Hunt.
Operation Green Hunt." Such Had the operations not been
claims contain a degree of truth, launched, the Maoist violence
for, the above mentioned attacks would have been directed at anwere, in fact, carried out on forces other 'enemy' class; the operations
returning from area-domination or in fact, might have served the cause
combing exercises.
of the revolution by providing the
Moreover, it is also true that the Maoists an 'enemy' class against
violence in south of Chhattisgarh whom the masses can be mobilized.
spiraled only after Salwa Judum
Given the centrality of such atcampaign, whereas prior to that, tacks in the Maoist strategy, how
the Maoists were basically en- has it impacted the cause and
gaged in mobilizing the tribals of course of the revolution? To begin
the undivided Bastar region to with, the fact that the enemy confight for their rights.
glomerate today also constitutes
Having said this, however, the the very tribals that the Maoists
centrality of armed struggle in the claim to be representing has put

the Maoists in a situation where
an intensification of their armed
struggle against the 'enemy' also
inadvertently mars the movement's
moral and social support.
For instance, a common principle of the strategy of protracted
people's war is 'decimation of dissenting voices and attempts of
implementing alternate participatory politics' other than that advocated by the Maoists.
This is evident through several
fact-finding reports from
Lalgarh, Dantewada and
killing of 'police informers'
elsewhere. Such tactics,
however, have created a
rift among the masses
against the violence of the
Maoists as is reminiscent
by the anti-Maoist rally
carried out in the wake of
the 17 May killings.
A heightened sense of
helplessness is palpable
among the masses as
they are increasingly getting caught in the
crossfire between the Maoists and
the government without any improvement in their living conditions. Although this sense of helplessness does not benefit the
state, it also proves to harm the
Maoists, especially, as analysts
have argued, the people cannot be
expected to put up with their abysmal condition for too long.
Above all, the most harmful
impact of such brutalities is on the
image of the Maoists as benefactors of tribal welfare. Several tribal
organizations leading struggles
against the state have openly rebutted their conflation as front
organizations of the Maoists.
The Chasi Mulia Adivasi
Sangh (CMAS) working in
Koraput district in Orissa on illegal grabbing of Adivasi land, for
instance, held a protest in
Bhubaneshwar against the conspiracy of the government to
falsely brand them as Maoists.
Ultimately, the Maoist politics
of violence together with their inability to deliver on social services generates little hope that a
state under the Maoist will be
any different from the inefficient
democratic state they are fighting against. The movement,
therefore, is fraught with several
ideological and moral dilemmas
that today seem to be harming
the path of revolution instead of
advancing it.
The writer is Research Officer,
IPCS

India Post
CM-in waiting

T

he image of Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi is that of an
irresponsible Railway Minister who doesn't even care to
visit the spots where the frequent railway accidents have
been taking place and remains ensconced in Kolkata playing her
erratic brand of politics with the sole aim of becoming chief minister of West Bengal.
After her resounding victory trouncing the mighty Left Front in
municipal elections a quick rethink is on. By this time next year she
could very well be ruling West Bengal. And questions are being
asked what kind of chief minister will she make?
After 33 years people of West Bengal are really tired of the Left
rule. The Trinamool victory is partly because of this negative vote.
But it is not readily accepted that Mamata Banerjee has a great
chemistry with the people of West Bengal and it was this plus
factor which combined with the negative to give her the push.
People are not thinking how she will fare at the helm. They want
the Left booted out first and that would be a big relief. The question of how Mamata will function will come only later. At least they
want to give her a chance.
Experts on West Bengal believe Mamata has evolved as a politician. She has matured. She is in the mold of rustic leaders like
Lalu Prasad Yadav who are not appreciated in cities. She would
bring in lot many changes. She might take a few populist decisions, play to the gallery but like Chandrababu Naidu, she'll extract a lot of finance from Sonia and Manmohan Singh.
An expert on CNN-IBN had this to say about her: "The city
snobs cannot always understand the Mamata phenomenon.
Mamata is a people's leader who has never studied in an English
medium school. And just because her accent is funny we don't
believe her. We forget that it takes courage for a woman to decide
at a very early age that she wouldn't be lured by cosmetics, jewelry
and clothes. She has fought for such a long time to become almost
a Pied Piper in Bengal. We must learn to respect the Lalus and
Mamatas. They are rustic but great, great leaders."
The Congress has fared even worse than last time in West
Bengal. Their experiment of going it alone has backfired in the
civic elections. There is no doubt that they will now go in for an
alliance with Trinamool for the Assembly elections next year. But
Mamata should understand that she also needs the Congress.
The combined strength of the two parties will be an invincible
force. It is obvious from the way the CPM is already trying to send
feelers to the Congress to drive a wedge between the two.
That there are differences between the Trinamool and the Congress was obvious from the Prime Minister's reply during a recent
press conference. Asked if he missed the "structured support"
that he enjoyed from the Left in UPA-I, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh said that progressive parties should be together.
The unhappy experience of coalitions in Delhi with the types of
Jayalalitha and Mayawati whose support could never be taken for
granted, would scare the Congress about depending upon Mamata
Banerjee. But there is a great possibility of the anti-industry culture changing under Banerjee and New Delhi would be happy to
support her in development measures which accord with New
Delhi's plans.
The tantrum throwing Mamata is past and West Bengal can
hope for better days with a new leader. New approaches are needed
to handle education, infrastructure, industrial growth and employment opportunity.